Re: [NTLK] Why Apple Killed The Newton

From: David M. Ensteness (denstene_at_mac.com)
Date: Thu Aug 12 2004 - 12:05:54 PDT


I have heard this before and have read that it did impact the decision
directly.

These days it is a different story but in 1997 you could buy a Newton
MP2100 that could do everything a PowerBook from the mid-nineties could
do and it was at 1/3 the cost. Certainly a PowerBook 1400 or 3400 could
do much more than a MP2100, but a Duo, 190, a 140, even a 5300 .... the
MP2100 is very much something that was in the running with users of
those PBs who were looking to upgrade in 1997 for a feature to cost
assessment. Should I replace my current PB with a new PB and gain a
CD-ROM and color, or should I spend $1000 vs $3500 and get a MP2100
with all the functionality I currently have, plus some new options, and
all at somewhere around 1/6-1/8 of the weight?

David

On Aug 12, 2004, at 1:48 PM, Brian Pearce wrote:

>> ...The real issue was that it caused the PowerBook sales to plummet!
>> In
>> the MP 2100, potential powerbook buyers saw a workhorse that could
>> do just about everything that most users would require, at a third of
>> the
>> cost and a fraction of the weight..."
>
> While I don't know that this was true, I doubt it would be true these
> days; portable products have become a very, very big business for
> Apple, and I think most users rely on them for more than just basic
> functionality.
>
> BRIAN/bpearce_at_cloud9.net
> <http://www.redjacketpress.com>
> "Yesterday's Books for Today's Reader"

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