From: Jon Glass (jonglass_at_usa.net)
Date: Mon Mar 08 2004 - 23:04:49 PST
on 3/8/04 11:29 PM, Ed Kummel at tech_ed_at_yahoo.com wrote:
> In all my dealings with Apple from a corporate
> position, I have found that if the request doesn't fit
> within a pre-defined standard, it is refused...which
> is kinda funny...it seems that the corporate leaders
> are not "free thinkers"
Not when it comes to giving things away "freely." They are very jealous of
their intellectual property... Honestly, can you blame them? All their best
ideas have been copied (stolen?) by other companies, which went on to make
tons of money off of them... For goodness sake, Apple isn't a charity! If
they don't make money, they don't do it, and why should they?
------ thoughts in general ------
I think that, in order for any effort to have even the slightest glimmer of
a hope, it would require some serious contender...
I think that first of all, a company would have to be formed, with serious
goals, and a genuine business plan, secondly, the capital would have to be
raised, and third, a credible offer would have to be made. As has been
pointed out, some of the technologies used in Newton were licensed, and
others have been taken and used in other projects at Apple. The Newton is no
island. So licensing could end up being a very complicated thing, and worse,
in the end, may not be financially feasible? How many of us who have paid
$150 or less for their 2100 would be willing to pay the original asking
price of $900 or more? If you are thinking a revived Newton would cost less
than $200, then I wonder about how serious you are about this? How many of
us would seriously be willing to invest in shares in any company formed to
pursue this? $200, $2,000? $10,000? It will take hundreds and thousands of
people willing to invest like this. Are you willing to put your money where
your mouth is? (speaking figuratively, of course) :-)
It's one thing to casually talk about this on this list, but another
entirely to get serious about discussing specific plans, etc. For instance,
I could not , in good conscience, expect somebody do all this footwork, and
planning and not receive some compensation for it. Whoever it is would
probably have to do this full-time, which means giving up his job. For that
matter, are those who are on this list who are capable of the technological
wizardry willing to leave their current jobs???
If we are going to be serious about this, then let's get serious. If not,
then this discussion is just a bunch of hot air... Who _would_ be willing to
set everything aside, and take the step of being "in charge" and pushing
this through?
It's a big thing.... And I don't think the Newton has a chance of
reemerging, in any form. And everything I've discussed is on the simpler,
"business" end, not the technological end, and doesn't take into account
Apple's reaction... I think the discussion is a non-starter, to be honest.
-- Jon Glass Krakow, Poland <jonglass_at_usa.net> "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! - I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" - Patrick Henry -- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
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