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Apple/Palm deal postponed
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. "
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,
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.
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
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.
What nonsense.
Why should owning a neon-orange PDA make you any less businesslike, exactly?
Suits are such terribly boring individuals aren't they?