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Apple Could Be Planning Return to PDA Market

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

September 26, 2007, 3:22 PM

With the iPhone and iPod Touch out the door, Apple is apparently reviving an effort to develop a successor to the Newton, the device that helped spur the PDA market.

The device uses the multi-touch technology that both devices currently feature, as well an an embedded version of Mac OS X Leopard. According to AppleInsider, the project has been underway for the past year and a half, spurred by development of the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Release is targeted for the first half of 2008, although the site seems to suggest the company may be targeting the next Macworld Conference in January to release the product.

According to sources, the device appears much like the iPhone, yet is about 1.5 times the size, and has a screen with a resolution of 720x480. It allows cut and paste and drag and drop functionality through the multi-tap interface.

Intel's new Silverhome processors may find their way into the devices. The approximate launch date matches with the chipmaker's target date for that project, although news sources indicate that when asked if Apple would be using the chip, the company had no comment.

Like any Apple project, it is likely that the existence of it will never be confirmed until the company actually releases the product. However, like with the iPhone, more details -- if any -- are sure to leak out over the coming months.

Add a Comment (11 Comments)

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By dlab21

posted Sep 27, 2007 - 8:08 PM

do it will allow cut and paste and drag and drop and they'll charge $300 more for it than the iPhone and all the sheep will wait in line to buy it... only to see a price drop 2 months in and cry about it.
the apple lifecycle will continue

Score: 0

By improvelence

posted Sep 27, 2007 - 3:18 PM

yay...

Score: 0

By Setian^Stalker

posted Sep 27, 2007 - 12:33 AM

oh good god

Score: 0

By xyzcb1

posted Sep 26, 2007 - 11:07 PM

will this device allow 3rd party apps or it will be allow 3rd party apps via safari just like the iphone?

Score: 0

By bobthegoat2001

edited Sep 26, 2007 - 5:40 PM

Maybe this will encourage Dell to get back into the PDA market. I though their's were by far the best spec'ed for your money. I liked the X51v; 624MHz, VGA screen (640x480), VGA out (up to 1024x768), 16mb 3D accelerator (also helped to make the video's play smoothly), SD and Compact Flash (I don't think CF's have a memory size limit, which made it a good MP3 player), removable batteries (unlike Palm's and probably like iPoDA's), just to name a few features.

Mine's starting to go bad though, I was hoping they'd make a successor to it.

Score: 0

By GS5

posted Sep 26, 2007 - 5:06 PM

I wonder what they're going to call it! The iPDA or maybe the iNewton.

Score: 0

By xyzcb1

posted Sep 27, 2007 - 3:36 PM

probably call iAssistant

Score: 0

By Paul Skinner

posted Sep 26, 2007 - 4:59 PM

I bet millions of pounds (worth double to you Yanks) that Apple bring out a touch-screen iMac soon and do away with the mouse.

Partly because I invented it today and then realised Apple had patented all the touch screen functions.

Score: 0

By Austin814

posted Sep 27, 2007 - 4:20 PM

You invented a touch screen iMac? Would this be the same as me inventing a touch screen PC/ Windows XP by attaching a touch screen flat panel to a PC? Buy any Elo Touch flat panel, connect it to your mac and poof, you have a touch screen mac...nothing to invent there. I have a touch screen flat panel on my kitchen counter top and running Windows XP...nothing special!

Score: 0

By saintchuck

posted Sep 26, 2007 - 4:47 PM

Why not just make a big iPhone?

The iPhone is already a PDA/PC/Phone but by making it bigger Apple would increase usability in the PDA/PC segment. The current size/weight of phones is amazing but I like my gadgets too have a little substance to them. With the increase of physical size they could also increase battery size and/or put in a harddrive.

Apple...smell the possibilities

Score: 0

By cranbers

posted Sep 27, 2007 - 10:45 PM

One can only assume that its going to big a bigger iphone type device, but without the ipod software. It will have a word processor spreadsheet etc im sure, maybe it will run a version of mac os x that has the desktop and all that. Who knows though, with apple's success in this market now, im sure it will be nothing like the newton, as I recall that device was ahead of its time.

Score: 0

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