Apple Computer Inc., eyeing a future in which people get and share information in many different ways, is introducing two new computers based on its once-scorned Newton MessagePad.
The company was scheduled to launch Monday a high-powered, top-of-the-line Newton designed for people traveling on business and a rugged, notebook-style device intended for schools.Apple says the computers, available early next year, are only the first in its series of "information appliances," an emerging class of products smaller, cheaper and more specialized than a traditional personal computer.
The company is one of many planning or unveiling such machines, ranging from so-called network computers - bare-bones PCs linked to the Internet - to Web-surfing video-game consoles to hand-held computers like Newton to "smart" phones.
"In the evolution of information technology . . . the trend has been (to get) closer to the user, more broadly based, lower-price points and open up new and more personal applications," said Jim Groff, general manager of Apple's information appliance division. "The goal is to keep doing that."
Apple's new, high-end MessagePad 2000 looks much like previous versions of the Newton, which has steadily been improved since its 1993 introduction, when it was derided for its shaky handwriting recognition and general inability to match its hype.
But the new MessagePad introduced Monday boasts a 162-megahertz microprocessor - far more power than the 20-mhz chip in the previous 130 MessagePad, introduced earlier this year.
One version comes with a nearly full-size keyboard in addition to the pen used to write on the screen or to tap to choose options or edit text or graphics. Where the previous model had only one slot for optional modem, memory or software cards, the 2000 has two. It also has more memory than the 130, 5 megabytes of RAM, compared with 2.5.
Apple believes the extra power and other features will make the new Newton ideal for traveling business people who don't need a bigger laptop PC but still must read e-mail, connect with corporate networks and work on memos and spreadsheets.
The new computers will cost less than $1,000 - at the high end of such products but less than half the price of a laptop PC.
Apple's other new product, the eMate 300, doesn't look anything like a Newton, although it's based on the same technology.
The device, which at first will be sold only to schools, is a "clamshell" computer, a hard case that when opened reveals a screen on one side and a keyboard.
The company sees the eMate as a portable, easy-to-use supplement to desktop PCs already in many classrooms. Students could use it to take notes on field trips or take it home for assignments, much as they now borrow band instruments.