From: Jon Glass (jonglass_at_usa.net)
Date: Sat Sep 07 2002 - 08:29:29 PDT
on 9/6/02 3:33 PM, Albert Muniz at amuniz_at_depaul.edu wrote:
> We have posted some of our interpretations on our research website.=20
Good stuff. :-) I honestly expect a firestorm of denials, but, as a whole,
you've pegged us! :-)
I do have a few thoughts.
(I quote from the "Discussion" page on your web site:)
> When asked about the recurrence of these rumors, most members state that Apple
> would never reintroduce another PDA given that the market is crowded and no
> longer growing.
Just to add fuel to the rumors hype. It could be argued that the reason the
PDA market is shrinking or no longer growing is because the products that
are available don't really meet people's long-term needs. They use them for
a while, and then become dissatisfied, and try another product. This seems
to have helped feed some of the growth. When somebody's tried them all,
where does that leave him? He stops buying. I personally thing that if
somebody were to develop a truly compelling PDA or something similar, that
product would almost immediately take over the whole market. That is the
state we are in today. If you look at all the companies out there who would
be able of developing such a compelling device, Apple stands at the top.
This reason alone is enough for a breeding ground for rumors (which are
probably inevitable). Worse, it is still possible that Apple will develop or
co-develop something.
Now, onto point two:
On your "Reintroduction Rumors" page, you mention market resistance as one
of the reasons people continue to use the Newton. You also mention several
other reasons. One reason that you didn't mention, is simple economics.
I have invested literally hundreds of dollars in Newton software and
hardware (the number is definitely over a thousand dollars, but I don't know
if it reaches two thousand). I have also invested several years of my life
learning and using the Newton (since right before OS 2 came out). This is a
major investment for me, and up to my latest Powerbook purchase, represented
a greater outlay in money than for all my desktop computers combined. Every
time I look at another product, I see that I will lose all of that time and
financial investment. I can never recover what I've spent financially, and
to switch would also require a whole new learning curve, and an investment
in time and software. At the moment, I have yet to find a competing product
compelling enough to make me even want to switch. I'm still waiting. When
that day comes, to me it will be obvious, and I will eagerly make the
switch, and possible even give away all my old Newton hardware, as it will
no longer have any value to me, but might to somebody else. My other option
is to play a guessing game, and guess when Apple or somebody else will
release that device, and sell my hardware before that event to make the most
money out of it. :-) (so, if you see me trying to sell my stuff, you can bet
that I think something's going to happen...) :-)
That is where I stand, and I wonder how many others are in the same boat as
me, or floating nearby. Anybody??
-- -Jon Glass Krakow, Poland <mailto:jonglass_at_usa.net> <mailto:glasshaus5_at_aol.com> "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin -- Read the List FAQ/Etiquette: http://www.newtontalk.net/faq.html Read the Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ This is the NewtonTalk mailing list - http://www.newtontalk.net/
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