[92] in bcs-newton
Newton at CeBIT 93
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Albert Willis)
Mon Apr 12 15:43:16 1993
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 93 15:41:23 EST
From: awillis@MIT.EDU (Albert Willis)
To: bcs-newton@world.std.com
FYI: here's something I read on the comp.sys.pen newsgroup. Thought you
guys may be interested.
-- Al
Newsgroups: comp.sys.pen
From: thomasp@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Patrick Thomas)
Subject: Newton, CeBIT 93 update
Organization: Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Germany
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1993 09:47:34 GMT
Concerning talk on Apple Newton's abilities
and what actually has been shown at CeBIT 93
in Hannover:
1) Neither Apple nor Siemens PN showed the Newton or
Notephone to the general public at their booths
2) Apple mislead the general audience placing one-page
ads in top German magazines like Der Spiegel,
Handelsblatt, Computerwoche..etc reading
"We will show it (Newton)" at CeBIT. Even more
stupid: several Apple employees at CeBIT (1) denied
that Apple placed the ad (haha!) and (2) finally
forced to accept the fact, stated that it was not
meant that way (haha!).
3) On the plus side, Apple held an impressive press
conference on Newton technology and Apple's
partners in this venture. Apart from the american-
(MTV)-style introductory show, Bastiens was there
and so was Michael Spindler. More impressive:
Apple announced that Kyushu Matsushita Electric,
a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric, is going to
license the Newton operating system. Apparently
Matsushita Electric does not have any plans to
market Hobbit technology (they do manufacture
the EOs of course, but watch those closely held
stocks!). That last one obviously cannot be more than
a rumour.
4) Even more impressive: They had a dozen or so beta
prototypes of the Newton with them for the press to
try out. Tchao and Alazi were available for questions
until your saliva went dry. Those units were much
more compact than what you would expect from the
standard (bulky) press pictures. The reflective screen
is poor, the pen-sensing overlay is very sensitive
to placing your palm on the units screen - it starts
to draw weird lines all across - a problem, which
according to an Apple employee they won't be able to
solve.
5) Even more impressive: Handwriting recognition is
really good ! Not perfect, but, hey, we are talking
cursive here ! The best I have seen so far. Speed
is not amazing but ok.
6) Even better: Bastiens made a bet with a friend of mine
that Newton will be on the market this year. I know,
he'll probably win, but if not he looses his wine
cellar (thats public!) - so I still have hopes...:)
Let's rearrange that equation:
PDA success = content-providers + access software + marketing
In terms of marketing Apple, at least, is a world leader with
a brand recognition greater that Pepsi. So Newton, again,
should be watched closely.
Did anybody attend the Sweat Pea Kitchen developer's conference ?
Around the same time as CeBIT it focused on Sweat Pea, Apple's
Multimedia handheld.
Last question: can anybody comment on battery life when
using the EO as a true "Communicator", i.e. when using
the cellular phone/fax/data transmission capabilities ?
Patrick
