Aqua-Soft ForumsShould Apple make a PDA, this question has been burning in the back of my head ever since I envisioned a color screen ipod, and looked at Duckie's ipaq skins. An ipod PDA, the first hard-drive PDA, that would be great, a real pocket computer. So what do you guys think?? 
I'd be the first to buy the Apple ipod-comp.
Apple PDA
Originally posted by Duckie@Nov 23 2003, 09:02 PMApple released the first ever Handheld computer.
it was called the Newton.
And then someone had a mental lapse and it was killed.
An uncle had a newton, might see if he still has it in the junk drawer and make a emulation app out the design...
You can still find working Newtons on Ebay every now and then. I've always wanted to have one.....I dunno, just to have it. 
sounds pretty cool... 
Have you guys seen T3 magazine cos in the Dec '03 issue Apple have released plans for a Video iPod!!! a HD video iPod!!! 3.6" LCD TFT Screen!!! plus all the music features...
and it's Silver!!!
I have a feeling that the iPod will grow to be a PDA of sort. I mean look at the added features already, text file support, games, contacts, etc.. all they need to do is release a SDK pack for it and the iPod takes off like a wildfire!
The Newton was way ahead of it's time and that brought it to it's demise. I don't think Apple will go to that route again. They see no need for it. Palm OS already cooperates with MAC OS.
Jobs has been quite clear that there will be no Apple PDA. He considers PDAs a passing fad and beneath Apple. The closest will be the sort of features that have been added to the iPod.
PDAs really aren't my thing at all, so even if Apple did release one, I'd not buy it.
But it'd be something that Apple both should and should not do. Should, because it's an emergent market, one where Windows isn't the number one yet, and it'd be a great trojan horse. If Apple released OS X Mobile (or whatever name it'd be) and it was more stable and just better than Windows CE, yet still provided great software for use with the users Windows PC, it would send out a great message.
They shouldn't though because, being Apple, it'd be a beautiful product, but sold far more expensively than the competition, and the layman simply wouldn't grasp why the Apple PDA should cost $100 or so more than an equal performing iPaq or Palm. And this is I think Jobs' thought - he wants to keep Apple's focus on the iTMS as a way to sell the iPod, and the Mac. If Apple loses its focus on the Mac itself, then market share will follow.
Which is why I think it's safe to suggest that Apple won't be releasing a PDA in the near future, or at least while Jobs is still there (which will be a long time).