[NTLK] iMessagePad (was: Einstein running on iPhone)

[Rod Lavington]

Been quite some time since I have posted on here :)

I think James is on the right track.  Apple today seemed to focus on
evolution rather than revolution.  People seem to confuse what Apple is
doing today as groundbreaking, but as James said, they are just tweaking an
existing product to improve a product and broaden a market.  Unfortunately,
every other PC manufacturer is the same.  Innovation was a concept that was
left behind in the 90s....

Look at MacOS for example.  It hasn't really changed that much since 1984
when the first Mac was released.  Sure, under the hood changes have rolled
along, but the basic premise of the Finder, desktop and the use of the mouse
has not really evolved.  Just the box its contained in has changed shape :)

The share price controls what companies to today!

Seeya

Rod!



On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 11:56 AM, J.M. Heinrichs <minicapt1 at mac.com> wrote:

> I think some people are trying to over-contemplate this situation, with the
> attendant tendency to focus on rather small and not necessarily significant
> details.
>
> 1. Purchased a Newton OMG on its arrival in the Great WHite North.
> 2. Have two of my four MP 2100 still in service.
> 3. Purchased a second iPad because I found a need for the Cellular link.
> 4. Just received my new iPod touch, which should compliment my other one,
> yet in service.
>
> Apple could make improvements to its current lineup, but overall, I think
> Mr Jobs is doing a spiffy job.
>
> Cheers
> John
>  minicapt1 at mac.com
>
> On 15 Sep 10, at 20:45, James Fraser wrote:
>
> > Take II (apologies for the previous hiccup.)
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> >> While I very much agree with you on everything you said about the
> Newton, >I think you're being unjust towards the iPad. Let's don't forget
> that the >iPad is a first version of a device which is only 5 months old.
> >
> >
> > That's one way to look at it.  Another viewpoint is that the iPad is the
> first version of a device five months old that's primarily derived from a
> product that just turned three -years- old: the iPod Touch.
> >
> > They do run the same OS, after all, just different builds.  Whether or
> not the extra screen real estate the iPad offers is worth spending money on
> when you already own an iPod Touch is up to the individual consumer.
> >
> >
> >> iPad has interesting potential, in my opinion, and there's still a lot
> of >room for improvements and for making it -- if not a game-changing
> personal >computing device -- at least a more powerful, versatile machine.
> >
> >
> > I agree: it does have some interesting potential.
> >
> > The thing is, the Newton was introduced by Apple with the intent of
> single-handedly creating a -whole new product category-.  The iPad seems to
> be, to me at least, largely an attempt to capitalize on an -existing-
> product.
> >
> > That's not to say that the iPad doesn't have its good points.  It's just
> that the Apple of 1993 was willing to take an enormous risk with the
> introduction of the MessagePad (and they got kicked in the crotch for their
> troubles).  The Apple of 2010, on the other hand, seems content with
> wringing as much as it can out of existing product lines as opposed to
> constantly releasing products that are so innovative, consumers aren't quite
> sure what to make of them, as they are so different from any other product.
> >
> > The impression I was left with re the iPad was that Apple had decided,
> "Hey! Let's take an already existing product, tweak the form factor a bit,
> pass that off as an innovative move, and watch the cash roll in!"  They had
> the part about the cash rolling in right, certainly, so it's hard to argue
> with that outlook.
> >
> > It's just that it's comparatively difficult for a large company to
> justify coming up with "game-changing" personal computing devices when they
> know that they can generate large sums of money simply by re-releasing their
> existing products again and again with relatively minor tweaks.  I believe
> that's where Apple is going to go with the iPad, though you're perfectly
> welcome to quote this email a couple of years from now in a point 'n laugh
> session. :)
> >
> > True innovation entails substantial risk.  I'm not sure if the Apple of
> today still has the stomach for substantial risk or not.  I guess we'll have
> to wait and see about that one.
> >
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > James Fraser
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ====================================================================
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> > The Official Newton FAQ     - http://splorp.com/newton/faq/
> > The Newton Glossary         - http://splorp.com/newton/glossary/
> > WikiWikiNewt                - http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
> > ====================================================================
>
>
> ====================================================================
> The NewtonTalk Mailing List - http://newtontalk.net/
> The Official Newton FAQ     - http://splorp.com/newton/faq/
> The Newton Glossary         - http://splorp.com/newton/glossary/
> WikiWikiNewt                - http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
> ====================================================================
>