Re: [NTLK] Voice of reason

From: Jeremy Bond Shepherd (jbond_at_jameswhale.com)
Date: Wed Nov 27 2002 - 14:49:36 EST


At 02:16 PM 11/27/2002 -0500, John Anderson <dearjohn_at_everchanging.com> wrote:
>But I wouldn't expect the Newton to get resurrected... ever. I'm going
>out on a limb here, but I doubt there's any chain of events that will
>cause this to happen, from Apple anyway. A better solution here would
>be to band together and create a new PDA... one that embraces the
>strengths of the Newton and addresses its weaknesses.

My own view is that the best path forward for Newton developers/hackers is
to keep existing machines running and useful as long into the future as
possible. That means ensuring that consumables like batteries and
backlights are available, repair services are available for the most common
failures, and that new applications/standards are supported as much as
possible (like 802.11b, MP3, Compact Flash, data exchange with modern
applications, etc.)

I would never buy a new Apple PDA again after the way Newtons were
unceremoniously dumped with existing major problems unsolved (I'm thinking
-10061 here), nor do I see Apple getting back into that space anytime soon.
An attempt to try to get Apple's attention now should be regarded as a fun
pastime, with the desired result of getting a little more press for the
community and perhaps even attracting some talented developers into the fold.

Creating a new PDA? Wow, a neat idea, but so many former Apple Newt
designers have moved on to work on other PDAs that I'd argue their
influence is already being felt in the marketplace, just not in a
concentrated way.

-Jeremy

-- 
Jeremy Bond Shepherd
jbond_at_jameswhale.com

Americans practice different faiths in churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. And many good people practice no faith at all. - George W. Bush, finally gets it right in his Easter Address of 2002 My PGP key is available on public keyservers.

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