Re: [NTLK] iWalk

From: Michael J. Hußmann (michael_at_michael-hussmann.de)
Date: Thu Jan 10 2002 - 09:03:15 EST


Denis Krasnov (dkrasnov_at_nyc.rr.com) wrote:

> The point is - this is a real unit which can be lifted, booted up and it's
> screen indeed displays something.

I suppose you've seen this fake Mac OS package for the Newton? It "boots"
Mac OS, displays something, etc.. This proves nothing, even if there was
nothing in the way of post-production with these movies. And note that
the only time the device is lifted up, it is turned off. There is no
proof that the device is really self-contained -- it could be just a
display in a box, with the computer powering it beneath the table. For
all we know, the object seen in "turnaround.mov" could be an empty shell.

And then, the iWalk doesn't look very convincing. Its interface is a
strange mixture of Newton OS and Aqua -- flat, grayscale Newton-type
icons at one end of the screen and coloured pseudo-3D interface elements
borrowed from Aqua at the other. This looks just wrong to me. For one
thing, Aqua wastes screen space like there's no tomorrow -- not exactly
what you need for a PDA display. With the iPod, Apple has shown that at
least some people there still know how to design a good interface to make
the most of a very small, confined space, so adopting Aqua for a PDA is
not what I would expect them to do. And neither would they copy the
Newton's interface. As everyone "knows", the Newton was a disaster, a
huge failure, so they wouldn't want a new PDA to be associated with the
laughing stock of cartoonists. (Sure, it would win them some fans among
_this_ crowd, but we are a negligible part of the market and not worth
bothering with.)

The display is apparently of a non-backlit type, but still it shows
colour -- and for no purpose really, as the blue tint in the battery
display and and the barber pole (and maybe the scroll bars, as some
people believe) doesn't add any functionality.

The applications shown are just the usual Newton stuff, if a little
modernized. In fact the iWalk is a very, very conservative version of a
Newton 2002: slight changes to the interface, a colour display, state-of-
the-art ports such as FireWire, a just slightly smaller form-factor. Such
a device might appeal to Newton owners looking for an upgrade path, but
how is Apple expected to win some market-share with this device?

And one last thing: In the context of Steve Jobs' presentation of iPhoto
and the new iMac, he made a point of noting that with these new products,
the digital hub was complete. In the promotional video for the new iMac,
Seal said very much the same thing. Do you expect SJ to contradict
himself and introduce the iWalk as the missing module for the digital hub?

- Michael

Michael J. Hussmann

E-mail: michael_at_michael-hussmann.de
WWW: http://michael-hussmann.de

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