Apparently the Newton doesn't fall very far from the Apple tree: Cupertino watchers AppleInsider are reporting that Apple has a project underway to develop a minitablet computer based on the OS X operating system it has developed for the iPhone and the iPod Touch.
The site is calling it "the return of the Newton," referring to the much-maligned but cult-favorite PDA that Apple sold in the mid-1990s.
The report describes a 'slate' style device that's about 1.5 times bigger than an iPhone, with a high resolution display and the same touch-screen interface that's found on the iPhone. AppleInsider believes this device may debut at Macworld in January.
If true, this would appear to be Apple's take on Intel's MID (mobile Internet device) concept, rather than a PDA like the Newton. PDA shipments have been in dramatic decline in recent years, with even basic mobile phones now packing all the same features as traditional PDAs. However, analysts believe there is currently not a huge market for UMPCs or MIDs either.
Apple's OS X and multitouch interface are unique takes on the UMPC/MID concept. Many of the devices demonstrated by Intel and its partners last week at the Intel Developer Forum required a stylus for navigation, reminiscent of PDAs.
The widescreen slate design reported by AppleInsider would allow for some interesting applications. This would also have a larger screen than either the iPhone and iPod Touch, and the size of the screen could make it easier to use the touch-screen keyboard in landscape mode, something on the wish list of many iPhone users.
The timing reported by AppleInsider -- release in the first half of 2008--does coincide with the launch expectations for Silverthorne, a low-power Intel processor designed for just this type of device. Intel executives were tight-lipped last week about their chances of working with Apple on Silverthorne-based devices, however.
Tom Krazit reported from San Francisco for CNET News.com
