[53] in bcs-newton
FC&C: Fair Comment and Criticism - PtP Newtons Folly
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jim Rinaldo)
Sun Mar 14 16:37:35 1993
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 93 16:45:54 EST
From: bcs_jim@MIT.EDU (Jim Rinaldo)
To: bcs-newton@world.std.com
Cc: 75300.1770@CompuServe.COM
Palm to Palm is a "monthy" on-line newsletter available on in the
palmtop areas on CompuServe and America Online, and covers computers
that fit in one's palm.
The editor of Palm to Palm is Marty Mankins [CompuServe address:
75300,1770 (Internet in header) AOL:PERAPPLIED].
In the latest issue, Issue 6 Jan 1993, Mankins writes the first part of
a piece called Newton's Folly. In it he goes on to explain some
information about Newton Notebook and a look at a press conference at
Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a
mild re-hash of what is known in the Newton community and what has been
published so far about Newton.
The question I have about Mankin's story is why is it a folly? Or are we
as readers supposed to make the historical leap to Fulton's Folly,
hoping that Newton will be sucessful despite early criticism, like
Robert Folton's Hudson River steamboat line?
Palm to Palm consists of press release re-prints and good reviews of
Mankin and others using different offerings from Sharp, Hewlett Packard,
Casio, Zeos and the like, dealing with software configuration, ram cards
and battery life. There are also some wire service (UPI and Reuter and
business wire; Marty, do you *subscribe* to these?) re-prints of
industry info.
Issue 7 of Palm to Palm is supposed to offer a more in-depth look at
Newton, and what makes it so different from all the other offerings.
"Next issue, we'll cover that in several scenarios that will enlighten
all on what Newton really is," wrote Mankins.
It's pretty easy Marty: Newton Notepad is the first in a family of
devices to provide people with advanced electronic organizers/
note-takers that are easy to use.
Apple will be the first company to successfully produce a PDA. Apple
will execute; it may not be the Newton Notepad, but the second or third
one. The problem with the current crop of palm computing devices is that
they are funamentally dumb. They offer dos, light versions of
applications and semi-chicklets to type on.
Newton is intelligent: it offers an interface for folks who want to use
email, fax, voice and other forms of communication but don't want a
weenie to explain it to them. Apple will provide an environment with
which they can get work done in, not worry about whether CHKDSK.EXE is
included with Newton.
Apple will be the first company to sucessfully execute pen-based input.
By sucessful I mean market acceptance and sales. It will not be just a
U.S. thing, but a global success, the way PowerBooks are globally
successful. It will also be the first Apple product licensed from
multiple sources; what people will see is that even when other companies
have *the exact same hardware* they know nothing about creating an
environment anyone can use.
If your criticism of Apple is that they have not provided enough
information to the public, then my answer is it isn't a relased product
yet. Apple has held it's cards closely to keep others from pilfering
their interface. You may scoff at that, but Apple spends millions each
year in R & D specifically on interface design. Their products show
this.
So the folly will be that every other PIM, PDA, or whatever will have to
be re-designed to compete against the superior Newton family.
Jim Rinaldo
Editorial Director
BCS-Newton
