I feel compelled to defend my brethren...
Please keep in mind what a broad audience ABC caters to; most viewers
think computer = Microsoft, let alone Newton = Palm. To write too
detailed an account would not really serve the general interest of their viewers.
Computer users, PDA users and Newton users are three progressively
narrower audiences, each with their own interests. Comparatively small
forums like Newtontalk best serve their interests. The internet makes it
possible to focus on such groups, called 'narrowcasting' as opposed to 'broadcasting'.
ABC and their ilk will never do a technically perfect job of covering
such issues, because of these constraints. I believe it was Murrow who
said that TV works best in either 30 seconds, or 8 hours.
The ABCnews.com article was the 30 second version. Newtontalk is more
like an 8 hour version. Each is appropriate for its intended audience.
That is not to excuse factual errors, but 30 seconds doesn't leave much
room for explanation, and the 'news' of the day is the new product. The
Newton is only mentioned as a reference, and its big splash in history
is the initially poor handwriting recongnition. That's what most viewers
*may* remember.
That said, you're right Kenneth. They're wrong. But there's a reason
why, I think...
Cheers,
Jim Johnson
(B.J. '85, University of Missouri School of Journalism, emphasis in Photojournalism)
Kenneth Wong wrote:
>
> Obviously the people at ABC still have the impression that Newton = Original
> MessagePad and have not tried the 2x00 models. The poor sods.
>
> In any case, I'm beginning to question journalism today. Many journalists
> these days tennd to be very ill-informed and biased with their writing. And
> they obviously have no sense of comparison. Newton = PDA, and Palm = PDA,
> therefore they can be compared? huh? What happened to comparing apples (no
> pun intended) and apples? The Newton is obviously able to do so much more (I
> still get a big kick out of running my MP2100 as a mobile web server using
> NPDS and impressing the hell out of my Palm-toting buddies) than the Palm
> and should be given due credit. Price-wise, by the time one outfits the Palm
> with a 33.6 modem and a keyboard, it would appear to be qite comparable to a
> Newton. Besides, the Newton has PCMCIA slots with which I can add memory, a
> network card (modem or ethernet) or a GPS system.
>
> I do own a Palm and I know what it can and cannot do. That's why my trusty
> Newt's still my main machine for REAL work. The Palm handles the little
> things like appointments and phone numbers :)
>
> Kenneth
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "brd" <vwbrd@bigfoot.com>
> To: "newtontalk" <newtontalk@planetnewton.com>
> Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2000 1:24 AM
> Subject: NTLK abcnews.com article
>
> > abcnews.com has an article about palm today. I was just thrilled to see
> > newtons mentioned, albeit not in a very flattering manner:
> >
> >
> http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/business/TheStreet/palmmarket_000418.html
> >
> >
> > Pocket-sized computers are nothing new. The
> > paperback-sized Newton electronic notepad, which
> > allowed users to store contact information and sending
> > short text messages, was introduced amid huge fanfare in
> > 1993 by John Sculley, then Apple's chief executive.
> > The Newton was lampooned for its attempts at
> > translating users' handwriting and its hefty $1,000 price
> > tag; Apple scrapped the project in March 1998.
> >
> > Laters,
> > Brian
>
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