Is Apple working on a multi-touch-based Newton successor?

This one is purely in the realm of rumor, folks, but AppleInsider is now reporting the tantalizing detail that Apple is currently working on a multi-touch-based successor to its Newton handheld. As the story goes, Apple has actually had a "small team of engineers" working on the project for the past 18 months, during which time they were occasionally forced to put the project on hold in order to help get the iPhone out the door on time. Now, with the iPhone out of the way, AppleInsider says it's "full steam ahead" on the "modern day Newton." Delving even further into the rumor mill, AppleInsider says the device will about 1.5 times the size of the iPhone, and sport a 720x480 display that fills nearly the entire surface of the unit (no surprise there). What's more, it seems that the device is intended to compete as much with UMPCs as with PDAs (something the original Newton's already taken a shot at) and, if the rumors are to be believed, it could be released "sometime in the first half of 2008," with a possible announcement as soon as MacWorld in January.

[Image courtesy of audiopollution/AppleInsider]

[Mile @ Sep 26th 2007 1:34PM]

If it doesn't sync up with Exchange, blah.

[Michael La Framboise @ Sep 26th 2007 1:44PM]

Only till the point when the IT people of big corporations get their heads outta their asses and realize that there are better alternatives out there... Just these days they're all so tied into the Microsoft monopoly.

[Mile @ Sep 26th 2007 1:49PM]

Nothing wrong with Exchange anymore. Except maybe the cost!

[pagercam @ Sep 26th 2007 2:23PM]

I'd pay extra to have it not support Exchange, most M$ apps are atleast OK, Exchange is a poor solution to a simple problem give me IMAP or POP3

[John @ Sep 26th 2007 3:36PM]

@ pagercam

Exchange is more than an email server. It also handles contacts, calendars, scheduling, task lists, notes, and journaling. My company's development environment is tied into it, so each engineer's tasks are managed from inside Outlook. When someone registers on our site, their contact information is added to the appropriate salesperson's contact list, along with a reminder task to follow up with that new lead. We schedule our meetings through Exchange, and can see each invitee's availability before the invitation is sent. And I'm not even scratching the surface of how we've integrated Exchange into serving our business needs. Please tell me what pop3 can do all that?

[Jack @ Sep 27th 2007 4:57AM]

@ John

I agree completely with you, exchange is more than an email server! I dont think the college where I work would function without it, but dont get me started on sharepoint...

[DickHardknocks @ Sep 26th 2007 1:36PM]

boring...

[gjp303 @ Sep 26th 2007 5:35PM]

Yeah, seriously, we cant go 10 minutes without another apple rumor!

[Fatima @ Sep 26th 2007 1:37PM]

Who wants, whats basically just a larger iPhone? Apple needs to make a multi touch tablet PC!

[Eric M @ Sep 26th 2007 2:22PM]

I have to agree. It's high time for Apple to get serious about OS X and Mac machines in general. I've outlined why on my blog, http://www.tiny.cc/apple (not to spam, just figured it would take up to much space in comments)

[Homeboy @ Sep 26th 2007 1:38PM]

Great, it damn better support 3rd party applications or less it's going to be worthless. At the same time Apple should also lock up the iTouch and iPhone since they have PDA hardware but are crippled because Steve Jobs wasn't allowed to date atheist girls when he was a kid.

[Brad @ Sep 26th 2007 1:50PM]

Assuming this rumor is true, is it not feasible for Apple to announce both this Newton successor and a cross-iPhone-Touch-Newton SDK? Let's say that two years ago, it was pitched that Apple sell multiple touch devices (ie: iPhone, Touch, and Newton). Wouldn't it make sense to hold off on an SDK that works on all 3 until the third is announced? Otherwise the SDK might give away TMI.

For example, after only announcing the iPhone, wouldn't it be weird to see an SDK with a method that accepted screen resolution as an argument?

For all we know, the Newton isn't even the last of the touch devices!

[thomas Deffieux @ Sep 26th 2007 3:54PM]

It would make sense to not provide the sdk for the iphone and ipod touch to avoid canibalizing inewton sales....

[Barry @ Sep 26th 2007 1:38PM]

The Newton was such a huge hit, I wondered when Apple was going to deliver a follow-up.

[daddycool @ Sep 26th 2007 1:39PM]

Greaaaat. An over priced PDA that you can't install any apps on. It'll rotate your photos though.

[Paul @ Sep 26th 2007 2:32PM]

Coverflow = 100% supported

And with 4GB of memory...w00t

[Choppy @ Sep 27th 2007 5:00AM]

If this would be true, it is more likely that the thing will have an x86 intel CPU just like those M$ UMPC and run the full real version of Mac OS.

[Nikoooo @ Sep 26th 2007 1:43PM]

Am I really the only one being excited? Crap... if Steeve reads this, he will kill it again... but this time, in utero!

[Mile @ Sep 26th 2007 1:46PM]

Don't worry, you'll be joined by the Apple fans right after they wake up from their lunchtime nap.

[Frankenstein Black @ Sep 26th 2007 1:45PM]

And (cellphone-less)PDAs are doing so well now...

[len @ Sep 26th 2007 1:46PM]

It's their Foleo killer!

[Michael La Framboise @ Sep 26th 2007 1:51PM]

The Foleo needs help dying? O_o

[pagercam @ Sep 26th 2007 2:30PM]

Its a OLPC (One Laptop Per Child ($100/$150/$200 laptop)) killer!!!!

[TIMMAH! @ Sep 26th 2007 1:47PM]

Looks good. Now keep the price down and make sure it has a frickin' user-replaceable battery!

[Unregistered @ Sep 26th 2007 10:12PM]

"Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!"

- iPig

[Dax @ Sep 26th 2007 1:48PM]

It's going to have to run a FULL version of OSX to get anywhere.

[Ellianth @ Sep 26th 2007 4:18PM]

but the iphone runs OSX!!!!

that's what iGawd said anyway.

[scott nelson @ Sep 26th 2007 1:49PM]

It looks like Apple has got the Palm Virus. This is about 5 years too late. Apple needs to stick with the iphone and make it better. People now want everything in one device.

[derek @ Sep 26th 2007 5:25PM]

how. there isn't even proof it is being made.

[lanejasper69 @ Sep 26th 2007 1:49PM]

I'm all for it, but MUST have support for 3rd party apps, and be very customizable!!! None of this our way or no way BS, support 3rd party developers etc. I think it would be a nice new edition for "Something Different" I'm sick of the same old boring Palm Os 5.4 , and Windows mobile will always be Windows Mobile. having a portable OS X device with 3rd party support would be killer!!!!!! Wi-Fi, BT, Touch, and maybe a slider or hard keyboard...not too keen personally on the touch boards, but my iPod touch isn't too bad....

Faslane

[joe23521 @ Sep 26th 2007 1:50PM]

It has to be called the iSaac.

[Mile @ Sep 26th 2007 1:52PM]

Ha! How about the iSaac Fig?

[Boynamedsue @ Sep 26th 2007 1:51PM]

just write the appropriate programs for the iphone and the itouch. the hardware on those is more than enough to handle it. christ.

[Fraunhofer Plug @ Sep 26th 2007 2:36PM]

I second that emotion. The current iPhone platform can do this with elegantly crafted applications. What does the larger screen real estate buy you if the OS, assuming it would be full OS X, is not touch-centric?

[yacoub @ Sep 26th 2007 1:53PM]

So this is why they're screwing iPod touch (and soon iPhone) users in the butt by locking them down so hard. They don't want you to be able to have the functionality of that upcoming device in your phone/touch.

[Handle IT @ Sep 26th 2007 1:54PM]

They need to be working on an iPod Touch that has a 160GB hard drive.

[James @ Sep 26th 2007 1:54PM]

Copy and paste? On a PDA?
That's so last gen.

[Korsakow @ Sep 26th 2007 1:59PM]

I think this "future handheld" is only the basis on which the iPhone was developed. Think of it as an early prototype.

[dcpmark @ Sep 26th 2007 1:59PM]

Yawn. And this coming from a long-time Apple fanboy. Who would carry this around when you can get most of the functionality out of a Treo or iPhone in a smaller package? Sounds like a Foleo-type mistake to me. The PDA is dying, and being able to watch movies on it won't save it. And UMPCs aren't exactly flying off the shelves. I guess they are trying to offer iPhone functionality to those people not with AT&T and who don't mind a two-device solution. If it exists, it will probably have wifi and use BT to surf the web through your non-smartphone. I could see it competing with Nokia's Internet Tablets, but I'd be more impressed if it came with a WWAN option for the carrier of your choice.

[akatsuki @ Sep 26th 2007 2:02PM]

I hope not, what a waste of time and talent. Tablet PCs are completely a niche market to begin with, and there is no way anyone is going to carry around anything larger than an iPhone/Blackberry...

[tony @ Sep 26th 2007 3:43PM]

Maybe.. but remember that mp3 players were also a niche market until the iPod took hold. Apple is sometimes good at creating markets by building devices that don't suck to use.

[Bad Beaver @ Sep 26th 2007 2:03PM]

Count me in. There still is nothing available that could compete with my Newton when it comes to sheer elegance, usability & durability. Almost ten years old, still going strong, never lost a bit of data, and a very convenient size to actually get some work done.

It better sync the freakin' categories from iCal thoug *cough*

[scolen2 @ Sep 26th 2007 2:03PM]

Oh sweet! I can finnaly update from my 2mb of storrage on my present newton!

[ericdano @ Sep 26th 2007 2:03PM]

If it works like the iPhone, and is bigger, I'd get it. Browsing the net with Multitouch (ie: your fingers) is way more fun than with a mouse. A little pseudo-tablet type of computer would be perfect.

[SteveB @ Sep 26th 2007 2:03PM]

It is not iPhone, it is actually a mobile PC. Apple will make it right, so you can use it as a regular PC when you plug it in the docking station. Don't even confuse it with old PDAs.
I will use it mostly as a ebook reader, Internet browser and read/write email and GPS and play games and ... anything you were going from PC.

[spass @ Sep 26th 2007 4:35PM]

It's not a PC, but a Mac...

[John M @ Sep 26th 2007 2:07PM]

Wow if apple truly delivers a multi touch UMPC that would be amazing. I bet it will carry a hefty price tag too. However, I would def take a look at it. As the article above stated its going to compete with UMPC's and PDA's. So, I do think they would allow for installation of 3rd party apps and the likes. I think its a step forward for Apple. Now the next venture will be an Apple Video Game Console!

[peter @ Sep 9th 2008 7:29PM]

they did. and it sucked.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandai_Pippin

[thud @ Sep 26th 2007 2:08PM]

If this is legit, it looks to me like Apple is kind of adrift here. Nobody wants this. Too big, presumably expensive, presumably no phone. People want their iPhones to do all this stuff - which is quite reasonable, considering what's running under the hood of the iPhone. They don't want to carry an iPhone and an iPDA (or Newton or whatever they end up calling it.) Only Apple's attempt to artificially differentiate their lineup of OSX-based handhelds stands in the way. I would expect these things to gather dust on store shelves next to the AppleTV.

The one thing we can be sure of though - if this ever sees production, it will look pretty.

[Sclath @ Sep 26th 2007 2:20PM]

Bah, unless it can REPLACE your laptop what good is it? I have a cellphone to make calls/text messaging and a laptop to do all my other computing. This sounds like an oversized PDA and probably won't be able to replace my laptop. So why would I haul yet another gadget through the airport? At least with an iPhone I have the option of consolidating my phone with my mp3 player (although I haven't).