[NTLK] It was 17 years ago today ...

[Lord Groundhog]

~~~ On 2015/02/28 15:45, Dan at dan at dbdigitalweb.com wrote ~~~

> On 2/27/2015 1:24 PM, Grant Hutchinson wrote:
>> ... and we're still alive and kicking.
>> 
>> https://web.archive.org/web/20040528183253/http://www.apple.com/pr/library/19
>> 98/feb/27newton.html
>> 
>> 
>> g.
>> 
> Indeed.  The even more surprising aspect is nothing has come close to
> our Newtons.  Sure there are phones that can do a lot more in many
> respects, but I still haven't found a device with apps that work as well
> or can integrate like the Newton allowed.  Still all these years later.
> 
> I never thought there would not be some sort of worthy successor.  Yes
> many strides have been made with smart phones and tablets, but they are
> still lacking in one way or another.  One of the largest is hardware
> issues I have is BATTERY.  I want a device that I can use all day on
> battery and not have to worry that it may die in the middle if I don't
> charge it up (better yet a week or two without a charge).  Sure there
> are spare battery packs one can plug into most devices but if you have a
> pile of those to charge up every night.  And those packs wear out after
> a year or two (perhaps even your device's battery itself).  Not to
> mention you can't just walk into any store and buy 4 AA batteries to
> plug into your device.
> 
> -Dan

Precisely it, Dan.  It's not the fault of the Newton that they were
discontinued before the leap forward in connectivity and communications.
Despite that, I still get more of the practical day-to-day stuff done on
Newt than I can on my Samsung Note 3.   Data integration and the flexibility
of the software are streets ahead of the rest of the market, and I still
catch myself marvelling at how NOS 2.1 plus Newton software achieve such an
amazing combination of simplicity and "power", to use that over-worked and
often undeserved buzzword.

Again, the Newton's battery life is nothing short of awesome, and when
you're needing to take notes, write and edit essays and papers, at all times
of the day and for hours at a time,

All in all, the Newton's ability to do what I really need from a handheld
device counts for far more than making phone calls and twittering and using
Farcebook.   
;-)  
Seriousness aside, I can't understand how Apple is overlooking the obvious:
even though the Newton wasn't viable 17 years ago as far as the accountants
were concerned, the possibilities of modern hardware mean that a new, modern
version of the Newton could be produced that would knock spots off anything
currently on the market as well as bringing back our beloved Message Pads in
an even more amazing iteration.  They think the iPhone is a winner?  And the
iPad?  Can you imagine if they came out with "iNewton", loaded with NOS 3.0
(aka EinsteinOS)?  


Maybe we should pitch this to Tim Cook?  If he promised to clear the
roadblocks out of the way, Matthias and the gang could show him what they
already have accomplished even with official obstructiveness, and offer (for
the appropriate remuneration for all their work) to show him and the world
what the future could look like.

We have to dream big, right?

 
Shalom, 

Christian 

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

³Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from a Newton.²
            -- ref.:  Arthur C. Clarke

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1ZzpdPJ7Zr4
(With thanks to Chod Lang)
http://tinyurl.com/29y2dl
http://www.diyplanner.com/node/3942


~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Tweeting as @LordGroundhog
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