“We pitted the Apple Newton Messagepad against the latest Samsung Q1 ultra-mobile PC (Origami project), and — despite being a decade old — the Newton won. Find out why by checking out the blow-by-blow account here. If you’d like to add your thoughts on the results of the match, click on the comments button below,” Crave at CNET.co.uk writes.
“Apple launched the Newton over ten years ago, but it failed to capture the public’s imagination and was ultimately discontinued. Many critics held the view that the Newton failed, not because it was a badly designed product, but because it was simply ahead of its time — a market for ultra-mobile computers simply didn’t exist back then,” Crave writes. “A decade on and it seems we’ve learnt little about mobile computer design. Apple’s Newton trumped Samsung’s offering with two knockout punches in our head-to-head battle.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The Newton 2100 is still amazing technology; truly ahead of its time. Imagine what it would be today had the project never been axed. Some might even go as far as to say that Apple is working diligently to morph iPod into a Newton right now.
Related articles:
Apple Newton fans keep platform alive – September 03, 2004
Apple’s Newton will never die: Newton-powered mobile blogging – May 05, 2004
Apple’s Newton: the PDA that just won’t die – March 24, 2003
Five years ago today Jobs axed Newton – February 27, 2003
Apple has the market base for this project to make a comeback. It would have to be about $500 (less than a Mac Mini, but more than the most expensive iPod) for a Junior. Color display, syncing etc. I never used one, but it’s my understanding the handwriting technology Apple has is second to none, possibly only SMART technologies could out-do them.
I also think it’s time for Apple to release a “true” tablet, not a Tablet/Laptop, but just an 8.5/11 screen that functions as a MacTablet. You don’t actually have to name these “Newton”, but you could call them something like MacPad (for the junior) and the MacPad Pro (for the senior).
Does anyone else agree Apple could also do good to stop calling everything i— and Mac—. I know that it’s branding, but in the early days didn’t apple name things differently at least some of the time?
Steve would have killed the Newton no matter what. It had the spoor (the credit for the Newton) of John Sculley all over it. It’s a guy thing. Steve would rather die than have the Newton, even as a success – no, especially as a success. And I would rather have Apple with Steve than Apple with the Newton and no Steve.
Anthony writes “…but in the early days didn’t apple name things differently at least some of the time?”
How’s this list of names (off the top of my head)?
Mac 128K
Mac 512K
Mac SE
Mac Plus
Mac II
Mac IIx
Mac IIfx
Mac IIci
Mac IIcx
Mac IIvi
Mac IIvx
In the early-mid 90s they changed to using other words like Performa, Centris and Quadra (which were low, mid, and high-end). However, the numbering scheme after the name was so crazy that it was impossible to determine which machine did what (esp. the Performas.)
As for the Newton, I think it’s amazing that it can still stand up pretty well to a modern machine. Sure, it lacks some modern hardware and abilities such as color, sound recording, movie playing etc but had Newton continued, there’s no doubt they would have included these features and easily beaten this Q1 from Samsung. I would imagine the only thing the Q1 might have won would have been price.
The biggest issue with current devices is the MS Windows interface. It’s bad enough on a PC but on a portable, you realise how quickly tapping/clicking can become tiresome. “Too many clicks” should be that device’s name. At least Newton was designed from the ground up to be used as a hand-held device and its interface designed accordingly.
If Microsoft were in hardware (no, no that kind of hardware, I mean the building kind), they would sell you a saw and tell you that it doubles as a hammer.
Eat up Martha.
oh so you really think that apple expects people to carry around an ‘ipod for storage and some other ‘pad like accessory’ ??? wtf!!!
its going to be ONE device.
music, video, phone and simplified os.
ONE device. do you hear me!!!!
does the word pod have any true association with music? no it doesn’t. the iPod will be the carrier to merge these existing technologies together.
it WILL be the new Newton.
steve jobs was quite famously quoted as saying he was proud of the products that apple has shipped but also proud of what they havn’t shipped. what do you think he was talking about? a flying iCar?
technology wise, apple has not been able to get all the technologies into one device…yet. But I think that day is rapidly approaching.
The iPod will become a PDA only if it can maintain its simple menu system.
notatotalsucker, Hello!
Everybody knows that the IIcx preceeded the IIci – it had the desirous socketed processor, while the IIci 68040 was soldered.
iPod will NEVER become PDA !!!
NEVER!!
It has an extra “i” and “o” and is missing the “a”
If you were to merge them it would be the iPoda
pay attention.
“The iPod will NOT be morphing into a Newton! “
That was Apple’s intension all along for introducing the iPod. Build up the technology and user base to introduce a do all “beat Bill Gates with a stick” product.
I don’t know what the”i” in iPod is for but by the time Apple is through it will stand for (i)nformation Pod.
I have an L on my forehead.
bjr, re: “The iPod will NOT be morphing into a Newton! “
followed by: I don’t know what the”i” in iPod is for but by the time Apple is through it will stand for (i)nformation Pod.
I thought I followed my original comment with enough detail to indicate I was talking about the name, rather than the product focus. You obviously didn’t. To be clear:
Apple is unlikely to resurrect the product name “Newton” for its upcoming iPod-based tablet product. More likely, it will emphasize the larger product’s links to the iPod line, building on the iPod’s highly favorable brand recognition and market position.
The software in the iPod tablet will likely bear a strong resemblance to that in the Newton while maintaining the base code found in previous iPods.
The hardware will likely be beefed up from the current iPod rather than taken from the Newton or any current Mac.
OK?
I am waiting patiently for the iNewt (or is it iFig?)
Music+video+newton coolness + pda stuff+expandable with widget like software + bluetooth. (maybe 802.11N?)
Anthony, I don’t think “MacPad” would fly; it sounds too much like “Maxi Pad”. And adding wings would make maters worse, not better.