[NTLK] Subject: Re: Quote of the day!

From: Michael Manthey <michael_manthey_at_magicvillage.de>
Date: Sat Jul 14 2007 - 13:51:10 EDT

I have been a passive member on this list for many years.

Just a few words on the Newton: it is a fascinating machine, and in my perception still superior to anything I have seen since in three aspects - notetaking including HWR and "sketch", longterm data storage and the fax-function. Email was ok, browsing, synching and spreadsheet were painfully limited. I used to work with an MP 130 (very elegant formfactor) and an MP 2000 in a professional environment till I had worn them down. I keep them and some other Newtons - including the eMate - in my collection of organizers for their sheer magic and beauty. My children (now 7 and 5) were completely enthusiastic about them when they tried them out for the first time.

Regardless of my admiration, I nevertheless do believe that Steve Jobs took the right decision when he axed the Newton. It would have killed Apple, because at that time it had no appeal to the masses. Funny thing is that in a Windows-dominated world people nowadays are fascinated exactly by the elegance of the iPods, iBooks and the iPhone. It is design that attracts people: then they notice the ease of use and discover that Apple computers offer all the functionality they know from Microsoft - but with superior ease of use. And Apple's market share is growing...

I wrote this on a Nokia Communicator 9500, which - based on the Psion/Symbiann core - makes the most of the traditional keyboard approach.

Michael
Cologne

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Received on Sun Jul 15 17:42:34 2007

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