Re: [NTLK] Why Apple Killed The Newton

From: Goodwin, Greg (GoodwinG_at_aafes.com)
Date: Thu Aug 12 2004 - 13:30:48 PDT


        I think this makes a LOT of sense actually.

        I have always thought of the Newton and the Pontiac Fiero to be
much in the same boat. Both had a bad start, both over-engineered to
fix the bad problem, and both became superior products because of it.
Both never lived down the reputation of the original problem, though it
was corrected early on. Both were scrapped when they provided a cheaper
alternative to their parent company's high selling product.

        Bottom line, be excellent, but don't undercut your own
foundation. You can beat the pants off of a product that someone else
makes, but don't beat your own pants off. :)

Doctor Clu
@><-- >------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: newtontalk-bounce_at_newtontalk.net
[mailto:newtontalk-bounce_at_newtontalk.net] On Behalf Of Charles Broderick
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2004 3:02 PM
To: newtontalk_at_newtontalk.net
Subject: Re: [NTLK] Why Apple Killed The Newton

Not only that, but by selling the schools low-cost eMates instead of
$$$$
laptops, you would be killing your profits. In many ways, the Newton had
to
go. Well, in one way, but many dollars.

I won't rant...for Steve Jobs, it is not about bringing high tech stuff
to
the masses...it is all about maximizing profits and being seen as
"cool."

Everytime I see a rumor about a $99 iPod, I laugh!

>
> A couple of weeks ago, I happened to run into a former schoolmate who
used
> to work with Apple India Ltd. - here's what she had to say
"...contrary to
> what most people believe (that Steven Jobs killed the Newton as it was
John
> Sculley's brainchild), the real issue was that it caused the PowerBook
sales
> to plummet! In the MP 2100, potential powerbook buyers saw a workhorse
that
> could do just about everything that most users would require, at a
third of
> the cost and a fraction of the weight..."

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