Re: [NTLK] The "iMoleskine" ?

On Sun, May 18, 2008 at 4:25 PM, Lord Groundhog <LordGroundhog@gmail.com> wrote:
> This article via the New York Times makes me wonder ‹ yet again ‹ what is
> keeping Apple from realizing that they need to get Newton 2.0 back into
> production NOW?
> http://tinyurl.com/6zal3e

> Among my little niggles with the article, Markhoff credits the Palm with
> being the source of all the handhelds. Is this guy a 10 year-old or
> something? Take away the Newton and where would the Palm have been?

Actually, that's not actually what he said. I read this yesterday, and
took "umbrage" (if one can allow himself to get offended about
something so mundane as a handheld computer), but read it again.
Here's what he siad, "Since then, there has been a proliferation of
gadgets of every size and shape, but to date only one other
form-factor has established itself as a generic one: the palm-size or
hand-held device that began as the Palm Pilot"

Notice that he says that that only one other form-factor has
established itself, and began as the palm Pilot. It is the
palm-top-ness of the Palm that worked its way into ubiquity. Not the
Newton size. I felt the author's greatest lack was not at this
point--I think he is right there. It is the palm-sized form that has
become a generic standard--he misses it when he doesn't acknowledge
the Newton as a forerunner of this size--or at acknowledge that it was
an earlier attempt at this zies and form factor.

Now as to your assertion of a Newton 2.0. I'm not so sure. The Newton
OS (2.0 and 2.1) stretched the OS beyond its capabilities. To
resurrect that aged and creaky OS would be a disaster and a mistake.
Also, to emulate it, other than maybe its most basic form (notepad,
intertwingledness) would also be a mistake, IMO. People today want
color, flash, web browsing, etc. They have all that in the iPhone. The
iPhone is a _huge_ hit. I fear that handwriting recognition is dead. I
know that, on my Treo with its keyboard, I _hate_ pulling out the
stylus. I certainly can type faster on it than I can do grafitti, and
I've only used the keyboard for a few weeks. Yes, handwriting is nice,
but people aren't going to wait for it to learn them, and I certainly
suspect that people don't want a stylus. Nothing says "geek" or worse,
"nerd" louder than the stylus today. A stylus-based OS would be too
anachronistic, and too much of a niche product.

That said, nothing will entirely replace my Newton. I still use it
(but only at my desk) almost daily--but I'll be honest. I doubt I
could give a rational reason. I like it--it's familiar, and I don't
wish to stop using it. But I couldn't convince anybody to buy one now.
Sorry, but iPhone _is_ Newton 2.0--whatever that means....

At least, that's my considered opinion, after pondering over an iPhone
for several months now...

-- 
 -Jon Glass
Krakow, Poland
<jonglass@usa.net>
"I don't believe in philosophies. I believe in fundamentals." --Jack Nicklaus
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