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Apple/Palm deal postponed

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the strawberry-palm-Vs dept.

J. Pierpont writes "According to an ABCNews article, the rumored Apple plan to create an Apple-ified Palm device has been delayed. The article indicates that the project has been delayed in order to focus efforts on the new consumer portable, which will be unveiled at the upcoming MacWorld Expo. "

39 comments

  1. Keyboards!! by Hugonz · · Score: 1

    Computers have floppies, too......

  2. Dysfunctional mainstreem press Re:Rumor Reporting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And you expect the press to function?

    If the press functioned, there would be no need for a site like slashdot, now would there?

    And asking the press to police itself....HA!

  3. Re:It's an image thing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Luckily i work in academia. The surest way to lose all respect from your peers and get generally laughed at is to wear a suit to work. Jeans and T's rule.

    Perhaps we should introduce "dress up" Fridays?

    (only joking..)

  4. It's an image thing. by Thag · · Score: 1

    People judge you by how you dress, like it or not. In certain types of situations, a "businesslike" demeanor is required if you want to get any respect from the people you're dealing with.

    I came up against this problem in college. If I had my way, I'd wear blue jeans every day: they're comfortable, long-lasting, and never go out of style. But I found out that when you walked into the offices of the uncaring drudges that run Penn State in a T-shirt and jeans, they looked at you like just another sheep in the cattle chute. However, if you walked into their office in a suit and a tie, the little voice in the back of their brains said "Shit! It's the Boss!" and you got MUCH better service. It was a cheap trick, but it worked.

    Yes, it's kind of stupid when you think about it. It has hardly anything to do with competance at your job (unless you network for a living with other people wearing suits). But it's an edge you'd be stupid to give up.

    The bright orange PDA is a bad accessory for a business meeting because it clashes with your business suit and spoils the image you're trying to give off. It makes you look like you're sucking on a lollipop.

    If you only ever wear jeans and t-shirts, it wouldn't matter. All IMHO, of course.

    Jon

    --
    All opinions expressed herein are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled.
  5. Re:iPalm by pberry · · Score: 1

    That's right! How dare any company make it easier for people to invade our sacred area of owning a computer. The audacity of Jobs is boundless! He is ruining it for us! We won't be half as 3l33t anymore. The mysticism will be gone... Sigh.

    --
    -- Are you an EFF member yet?
  6. Re:Maybe if they cut the price. by vitaflo · · Score: 1

    imagine taking a neon orange PalmPilot out of your suit coat pocket on an interview

    How is this any different than when I take out my neon orange Nokia cell phone to take a call? People have some pretty crazy cell phones now days, I don't see why a PDA can't be the same.

  7. Re:Turmoil at Palm Computing by Ken · · Score: 1

    Apple did attempt to acquire Palm Computing awhile back. This is well known. They were rebuffed though. This is where the Palm/Apple connection grew from.

  8. $139 Palm III by phobia · · Score: 1

    shopping.com. If the link breaks, search on Palm III.

    Free shipping. I'm happy.

  9. get a IIIx for your price of a III by Locutus · · Score: 1

    You should look here for pricing, they list 20 or so sellers of Palm IIIx's and the current price is around $242:

    http://www.shopper.com/cgi-bin/nph-sort2?a0=3073 01&a1=4

    I bought mine months ago for under $300 and you can even find sites that sell with free shipping and no tax (that won't last). They are an awesome organizer and I wouldn't want to be without it. It goes everywhere I go....

    --
    "Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
  10. Palm _is_ a Mac Classic :-) by billstewart · · Score: 1

    The original Mac was a Motorola 68000 with a small screen, ROMs, floppy drive, keyboard, and mouse.
    The original Palm Pilot was a Motorola 68000 with a screen, more memory, ROMs, and a touchscreen instead of a keyboard+mouse.
    It might need a slightly better screen, and you'd have to add some extra programming for the Graffiti drivers, and a compact flash instead of floppies, but if you can make a Pilot run Linux, you should be able to make it run MacOS :-)

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  11. What About the eMate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Surpised no one has mentioned this. Wasnt the eMate an early incarnation of the iMac? I mean alot of the key factors were there. Like ease of use,great form factor,low cost, and that translucrnt plastic.

    1. Re:What About the eMate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Errrr not really.

      As most of Apples ideas come from one man in the industrial design group, (John IVersonson?) the eMate is something he thought of.

      It was well accepted, so they went with it for the VT-100 looking iMac.

      There is no real similarity between a Newton and a Mac, except the same company makes em.

      Phillip morris sells cigs AND cheese. And they come wrapped in cellophane. No one ties these 2 together....

    2. Re:What About the eMate by poink · · Score: 1

      The eMate was like a Newton on steroids (ran NewtOS 2.1, IIRC). It was intended for a school setting where students could use it for notetaking and assignments, and then upload their files to the teachers eMate or computer for grading. Nifty, but not very practical.

    3. Re:What About the eMate by JohnC · · Score: 1

      The only steroid-ish aspect of the eMate was its mini-notebook form factor. It still ran a very slow version of the ARM processor (25Mhz or so).
      The real "Newton on steroids" was the 2000/2100, which had a nearly 200Mhz processor. What a loss to have it cancelled.

  12. Re:iPalm by Moofie · · Score: 1

    Why was the iMac not a good thing? Did somebody grab you in a hammerlock and make you buy one? If people like the computer enough to shell money out for it, and you don't have to, then why is it a bad thing?

    --
    Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
  13. iPalm by Microlith · · Score: 1

    I wonder if this will create a "Handheld PC Craze" like it did with the iMac. Not that the iMac was a good thing...

  14. Although I'd love to see it some time soon... by Etcetera · · Score: 2

    I agree that Apple needs to focus it's attention on the Consumer Portable. If they pull this off effectively, it will be a MAJOR cash cow and publicity gernerator for them (bigger than the iMac). If they stumble, it could prove to be a big embarrassment. Apple is right for focusing on the up-and-coming school season portable instead of the Palm-deal.

    As much as I really wish they'd come out with a Newton replacement soon...

    --
    Hire a Linux system administrator, systems engineer,
  15. Don't I recall the Newton? by Ben+Smith · · Score: 1

    Does anyone else remember the Newton? Why did they kill that thing? I always thought it was pretty cool, and the writing style was more natural than that Palm Pilot style.

    --
    -Ben
    bensmith@biz1.net
    1. Re:Don't I recall the Newton? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The newton failed becaue it tried to be too much, too soon. The technology wasn't ready upon apple's initial release of the MP100, and it became a huge joke. Incremental improvements were made, but no substantial gains were made unti lthe MP2000. By this time, however, it was far too late. All of the whiz-bang technology included in the MP2000 wasn't enough to make up for the mistakes of its ancestors. Jobs killed the newton to concentrate the funding on more important projects, like the iMac. Would the newton have rebounded had jobs left it alone? Possibly, though in the current market of cheap handhelds (THanks mostly to Palm/3Com) the pricey newton may not have survived.
      Besides, who the hell needs a webserver in a goddamned PDA? Neat idea, and there are a few uses that a few people might take advantage of, but for the most part, it was a stupid idea.

    2. Re:Don't I recall the Newton? by Geoff · · Score: 2

      The Newton was very close to perfect with the MessagePad 2100. Handwriting recognition worked. Speed was pretty good. It had TCP/IP, PPP, etc.

      But, shortly after the MP 2100 came out, the Newton project was killed. Most of Apple's Newton staff seem to have gone to 3COM's Palm division.

      No one really knows why Apple killed Newton just as it was taking off (and just as the handheld market was taking off). There is still nothing in the handheld market that equals the capabilities of the Newton. Apple's official reason for killing Newton was to focus on one platform (MacOS). The rumor mill has Steve Jobs not liking and/or groking Newton. (He is rumored to have said once, "Apple makes computers, and computers have keyboards.")

      What makes it worse is that Apple had spun Newton off into its own company, called Newton, Inc. Promise was high, since Newton was finally getting the attention it needed from its developers. Then Steve Jobs "un-spun" Newton, Inc. That's when we started to get suspicious. A few months later, he killed the project.

      Newton users were and are very bitter about the whole thing.

      When Newton was killed, Apple promised a return to the handheld market in 1999. I'm not holding my breath.

      --

      Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. -- Pablo Picasso

  16. anyone remember by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    anyone remember the year Windows 95 was released?

    and that year at comdex, everyone was expecting this amazing "new" operating system to win the award for Best New Operating System?

    and NewtonOS 2.0 won.

    that was hilarious.

    /offtopic

  17. Palm Products by drendite · · Score: 1

    After reading all of the Palm testimonials here on /. on the last Palm article.. I'm really thinking about getting one. However, I only have a crappy high school summer job, so the latest and greatest is out for me.

    The Palm website says that III's are $250 and IIIx's are $370. Does twice the storage and a better screen warrent $120 dollars?

    Another question -- Does it come with the cable to hook it up to my PC?

    1. Re:Palm Products by KevinRemhof · · Score: 1

      I own a Palm III and a Palm VII (got that one free). The Palm III is a great device. You can find it on the web for as low as $155. The IIIx can be found for $243.

      Is is worth an extra $100 for the IIIx? Maybe. I find 2MB of RAM to be just fine. I have a program which syncs with Quicken, a Star Chart, tons of addresses and appointments, a handfull of games, and a bunch of the Palm VII query apps.

      But, 2MB is not huge. The IIIx with 4MB is better, but it may not be worth the price. You can always tryout the emulator (from Palm's web site) and see how much you fill up before you buy.

    2. Re:Palm Products by Thag · · Score: 1

      I've got a Palm III now. The screen on the IIIx is significantly nicer. If you have the money, I'd get the better screen.

      The memory probably won't be an issue, unless you download every piece of freeware on the net and some books besides.

      Jon Acheson

      --
      All opinions expressed herein are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled.
    3. Re:Palm Products by drendite · · Score: 1

      I got the Emulator, but to get a ROM image of the PalmOS you have to do a long process that grants you developer status.. You have to list apps for the palm os that you have written, and are writing, etc.. It's a big hassle.

    4. Re:Palm Products by ua · · Score: 1
      Check out www.pdapage.com. They list current pricing for most handhelds, Pilots included.

      The site is reports the following prices (not including s/h) for 1 July 1999:

      • Palm VII: Pricing not available
      • Palm V: $330-335
      • Palm IIIx: $245
      • Palm III: $150-160

      --

      Union Yes! Member of Technical Workers' Local 101010
  18. Maybe if they cut the price. by Thag · · Score: 1

    ...but then again, this is Steve Job's Apple we're talking about. "We're insanely great: the peasants will be lucky just to buy our product at all!"

    Fruity colors alone aren't going to put them over the top in the handheld market. In fact, in the business world, making your info device look like a Game Boy would be a hindrance (imagine taking a neon orange PalmPilot out of your suit coat pocket on an interview).

    But, a low-cost Palm with Fruit Loop colors and a graphing calculator app would probably go over well with the high school crowd.

    Still, whatever happened to basic black?

    Jon

    --
    All opinions expressed herein are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled.
    1. Re:Maybe if they cut the price. by Microlith · · Score: 1

      Oddly enough, high school is the reason i considered getting one. But i think the aluminum (?) case of the palm V is nicer.

    2. Re:Maybe if they cut the price. by xeelee · · Score: 2

      What nonsense.

      Why should owning a neon-orange PDA make you any less businesslike, exactly?

      Suits are such terribly boring individuals aren't they?

  19. Turmoil at Palm Computing by KevinRemhof · · Score: 3

    This delay seems to be just another piece of the puzzle as to what's going on at Palm. First, Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinsky (the founders and creaters of the PalmPilot) leave Palm to start Handspring. Robin Abrams is then chosen as the head of Palm Computing at 3Com.

    Now, Abrams has resigned to join a start-up venture in Silicon Valley. Palm quickly named Alan Kessler as her successor. Palm is the fastest growing division of 3Com, and for good reason. With the introduction of the IIIx, the V, and the VII in the past few months, they are on fire!

    But, there are rumors that Apple is not just looking to build a new handheld device. It sounds like they are considering buying Palm Computing. This would be an expensive purchase, but definately worthwhile. Just imagine: a hybrid of the Palm V and the Newton.

    I guesss we'll just have to wait and see. You can get more information about Abrams stepping down here.

  20. Re:Why did they kill the thing ? by scrutty · · Score: 1
    Well , It was too big for a handheld.

    Cost too much for a PDA

    Took several versions until the handwriting worked accaptably.

    Was incompetently marketed

    Cost the company a fortune in R and D

    Plenty of cool technology in it tho

    --
    -- Oh Well
  21. Newton II by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe they should just slap a Newton II sticker on it and throw it away. There must be a tremendous amount of NIH?NI! (Not Invented Here? Not Interested!) turbulence at play.

  22. Rumor Reporting by NII+Link · · Score: 2
    The media never ceases to amaze me with its publication of blatant rumors. For the record, neither Apple nor Palm have made any announcement saying that they were even developing such a device - let alone that it has been postponed! ABCnews and CNET are irresponsible in reporting this. What kind of research did they do? A visit to MacOS Rumors perhaps? Please.

    I'm not saying that this Apple/Palm thing isn't possible - in an interview a while ago, Steve Jobs did say that he had wanted to buy Palm but they wouldn't sell. But this pure rumor has no place on Slashdot and especially not on ABCnews.

    --
    -Rafi Remove the Spanish to email me.
  23. I Love My eMate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I just bought an eMate (new!) and I love it. I've always wanted a small light durable and CHEAP laptop that I could do email and word processing on, and the eMate fits the bill. I don't need to run CDs, DVDs, or crunch graphic intensive applications. The eMate runs for 25 hours of full use on one quick charge. It's hip, it's cool, it's the no-frills computer for the masses. I love it!

    BTW, I was suckered into buying a Newton Messagepad 100 when they first came out and threw the damn thing in the trash out of frustration. I feel somehow vindicated by my cheap eMate purchase.

  24. The Newton by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    1) If Apple bought Palm, why would the talent stay? Remember 32 of the newton engineers/support staff left in mass for Plam when Jobs spun Newton Inc back in. When the 'acting boss' says at a developer meeting "Apple makes computers. Computers have keyboards. Where is the keyboard???" (totally ignoring that you can buy a keyboard as an OPTION) would YOU have stuck around?

    2) Why was the Newton killed? Simple: Jobs Ego. Scully had said at one time how the Newton was 'his' product at Apple. And given how he took the knife Jobs was going to plant in his back, passed it about the board, and each board member got to stab Jobs....killing the Newton was Jobs petty revenge.

    So now Apple has to BUY back what Jobs threw out.
    Good move Eh Jobs?


  25. That may have just been the icing on the cake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    2) Why was the Newton killed? Simple: Jobs Ego. Scully had said at one time how the Newton was 'his' product at Apple. And given how he took the knife Jobs was going to plant in his back, passed it about the board, and each board member got to stab Jobs....killing the Newton was Jobs petty revenge.

    Hardly petty revenge. It was smart business at a time when Apple was in serious trouble, partly from its lack of product focus. I like to think that Jobs killed it because it was a massive drain on the company. And I think he proved himself a tough iCEO in the process. Sometimes you have to make the hard calls. If it felt good to kill Sculley's pet, then that's just the cherry on top. But I think his decision was a good one.

    So now Apple has to BUY back what Jobs threw out.

    They never sold off the Newton. Apple still owns it. So they're not buying back (if that is what they're doing) anything but the product that was killing them in the marketplace. Again, good business. And if they integrate the Newton technologies into the inferior Palm device -- everybody wins. Which brings me to...

    Why are you such a complaining toad?

    1. Re:That may have just been the icing on the cake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bah, the Newton was profitable the last 2 quarters of its life. A drain? Hardly. The Newton drain was JUST like how the Mac was a drain on the company back when the Apple ][ carried Apple. The Spin off was showing off prototypes of palm-sized Newtons. And under $500 target price.

      They could have used the talent elsewhere? Not only did the 32 leave, but the ones left were the ones who brought us NCU - Newton Connection Utilties.

      NCU was 18 months late, locks up (on PC's), won't run if you have more than 2 gigs of free disk space (PC's...holdover of a Mac HFS limit.)

      Buying back the Newton....hey if your talent leaves, you have to buy it back. There is more to a product than the code. The people who wrote it matter also. Bad business to drive out your tech staff.

      And I'm of the believe the Apple uses palm technology will revolve about a deal involving rosetta licencing.

      As far as a toad....why do people constantly believe Jobs to be incapable of doing wrong? Tripe like how Jobs created the Mac is just plain wrong. Or how 'Sculley destroyed Apple'...yea, right. Who brought Apple into respectibility in wall street? Or how Jobs built Apple...Bah, it was Woz more than anyone else. Jobs botched the Apple ///, Lisa, and given the mac was projected to sell 50,000 units a month and was only selling 1215/689 (128k/512k macs) a month is part of why Jobs was shown the door.

      Only history (like 15 years from now) will judge if Jobs made a good move with forcing hardware upgrades every 2 years/killing the Newton out of spite or not. I'm voting for bad move.

  26. Consumer Portable? Me want... by cirby · · Score: 1

    I've been needing a new laptop, and if the rumored specs on the Consumer Portable are right, then it's just the ticket.

    Palm computers are pretty neat, but I've just got too many "horsepower issues" for a shirt pocket computer. It's not just the power users that would have a problem, either, since many of the most common computing tasks just need too much graphics resolution to fit into a handheld package.

    If Apple manages to get the true "P1" down to the $1000-$1300 range, with a 300 MHz PPC 740, there's not much reason to buy a Palm computer for half that price.

    Side note: if the P1 specs are right, then it should be a trivial thing to shoehorn LinuxPPC into it...

  27. Of course I do. by Hugonz · · Score: 1

    The newton was one of my Dream computers...with thatARM processor runnign at more than 100 MHz,etc... until they killed.
    I read that Jobs killed because he thought that Apple had to focus on the Mac revival...rather than so much development.

    I wonder if they are bringing this new palm computer from scratch...or they're reviving the old Newt... It took them lots of work to produce it a couple of years ago.