Report: Apple brings back Newton developer

Michael Tchao

(Credit: CC Michell Zappa/Flickr)

Those expecting Apple to introduce a new tablet computer soon may have another clue to the device's imminent arrival.

Apple has rehired Michael Tchao, one of the original developers of Apple's Newton personal digital assistant, according to a report Monday in The New York Times.

Tchao, who rejoined Apple on Monday as vice president of product marketing, most recently served as general manager for Nike Techlab, where he oversaw creation of new digital products and services for fitness enthusiasts. Tchao spent 10 years at Apple, overseeing product marketing for the Newton and reportedly persuading former Apple CEO John Scully to include the company's handwriting-recognition technology into what would become Apple's first consumer device.

Introduced in 1993 as the brainchild of Sculley, the handheld was plagued by poor reviews that pointed to the difficulty in its handwriting recognition capabilities. Beyond the initial snags, the Newton and other Apple handheld technologies never seemed to catch on, and Apple announced in 1998 that it would discontinue development of the Newton operating system and Newton-related products.

Rumors of an Apple tablet have been swirling for a couple of years, but speculation has ramped up in recent months, including reports that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been focusing intensely on a tablet device since returning to work in June after a liver transplant.

Apple representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday evening, but Apple has apparently been laying the groundwork for a tablet PC for years. The company was granted a patent in 2005 for tablet PC design, and the company was granted a patent last year for a tablet-like device that incorporated a touchscreen. Apple has also long had some of the key technologies for a tablet computer with Inkwell--a handwriting recognition feature having been in Mac OS X for some time.

[MyRightEye]

The writing is on the tablet...

[RobertFHarwood]

I own a orginal Newton and a 2000 series. Both still power up. When I am having trouble with my diabetes there is no better management application IMHO then DietLog for the Newton. Dispite the press reviews of the handwriting on the Newton, most of the people that tried mine were impressed on its accuracy. There was a woman who was a elementary school teacher whose handwriting was model perfect and had likewise recognition. She could handwrite on the Newton faster then she could type. I had known some native arabic speakers who could write in arabic script, in shape mode, and it would "clean up" what they wrote. Everyone of them got a Newton, since they had never ran in to something like that, computer that could do anything with Arabic script, at the time.

Remember that Palm is a company that started out as a software add on for the Newton. It did that do good.

The Newton Intelegent Assistant would be a great feature still. Parsing a highlight piece of text in natural language to interpret the commands and data contained. And it was extensible by application developers.

I hope they bring back the Newton, it was a fine product. Even the form factor was handy. It fitted in the inside pocket of a suit or the back pocket of a pair of 501 jeans.

[Seaspray0]

From what has been released so far, it won't fit inside the pocket of a suit or the back pocket of a pair of jeans.

[rwm72]

The Newton was too far ahead of its time... but a second coming seems imminent in the form of an Apple tablet... or iBook. Perhaps this time the critics will embrace it, and the technology required to make it run is now possible... I hope so, even if only to challenge new ways to think about the notebook and netbook and potentially inspire innovation.

[programbee]

No matter what reviews, Newton could have run 15 hours or more on single charge. None of tablet in today word can run so long.

[mbenedict]

But the Newton was a bulky PDA, not a tablet. Some PDAs today could run for days without charge.

And you forget original Newton was heavily criticized for having poor battery life, something Apple had to fix in later models. Even then, there's no way you can get 15 hours unless you turn off the backlight, not use any peripherals, etc. It didn't have a color LCD, wi-fi, mp3, streaming videos & web browsing capabilities... all the things you'd expect today (and those things consume battery life).

With the backlight on, realistically you can get 8 hours on a Newton. Yet today many Atom-based tablets run for 7-8 hours... with larger high-resolution color screens, full internet connectivity, etc.

[solitare_pax]

On the other hand, reviewers (and small children) expect everything to work whiz-bang out of the box to the exact specifications advertised. When things don't work out at 110% capacity, people get - fussy.

I don't think that the Newton was Apple's first consumer-level product though - their Performa computer line can lay claim to that, and if I remember right, the Newton was on the pricey side.

[knowledgenavigator]

The newton could run a month on a single charge based on normal daily usage, not 15 hours. By refurbishing battery packs you could get double that even. A color LCD is useless for a pda where you enter data, wifi works on it as it was way overdesigned for its time, mp3 works, bluetooth works, web works. This estimate by mbenedict as to 8 hours of usage is so out to lunch its laughable. www.newtonsales.com.

[mp01juv]

I remember on the simpsons when Kerney tells Jimbo jones to write "beat up martin" on his Norton and it comes up on the screen "eat up martha"

[Hosheen]

If the Apple tablet becomes a reality, I'll be an early adopter. It will make the ebook readers obsolete overnight. You'll be able to read all of your ebooks, view movies and videos, listen to music, and have a basic PC, too. But wait, you can do that with tablet PCs now!

I expect battery life will be an issue as it so often has with Apple. Maybe I'll wait until they get that fixed.

[Mr. Dee]

I guess this is a sign it will be a failure already.

[shellcodes_coder]

yup I agree with you

[qwerty-berty]

Why not invest your savings in short-selling Apple stock? With incisive analysis like this I'm surprised one of the major financial institutions hasn't already snapped you up.

[Gold_Storm_Mac]

@shell
you will agree to anything against apple.

[tech_crazy]

@qwerty-berty
"Why not invest your savings in short-selling Apple stock? With incisive analysis like this I'm surprised one of the major financial institutions hasn't already snapped you up."

Don't make assumptions. He might already be, or better yet, might have his own financial institution.

[jlopezcnet]

Well I hope I don't get flamed but, this is more proof that Apple invented the PDA. Everyone seems to give them crap for it with the iPhone but when you look back, they started it all.

[Seaspray0]

They do not need any further proof than this:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_invented_the_first_PDA

Some may think the palm was the first pda. It wasn't the first, but it was the first successful pda and was shortly followed by others. Today, most of the features of the PDA's have been incorporated into smart phones.

[dragonbite]

*yawn*

[fourthletter]

"vice president of product marketing"

So marketing experts develop products now ? hmmm someone is getting mixed up somewhere.

[shellcodes_coder]

so that means newton--flopped product will be back again and will again go down like endangered os will

[ralfthedog]

I don't understand your comment. What does this have to do with Windows?

[Seaspray0]

@ralfthedog. I think it has to do with Isac Newton and his theory of gravity... when an apple falls out of a tree, it falls down and endangers some guy called Os who will be back again under the tree where you can see him from your window. btw, they're on sale at the grocery store for $1/pound and they weren't made in china. :-)

[Mac User Too]

I had the original Newton and loved it. I thought its hand-writing recognition was nothing short of amazing. It was that good. I also used it as a portable FAX machine (with a modem card in the slot). It was a bit heavy, although it was built like a tank. Lost it in a house fire a few years ago. I miss it.

[Gold_Storm_Mac]

"Lost it in a house fire a few years ago. I miss it."
That sucks. how sad.

[tgrenier]

It is going to be a device targeted at the medical profession. He saw a need while he was hospitalized and got a vision. Computing in most hospitals is so far behind it is pathetic and there is no hole to fill in the consumer space with a tablet.

I am not sure how well he'll do. Tablet PC's have only had very limited success but health care is one of their targeted segments. It will be interesting to see if Apple comes up with something really different or just a MAC Book in tablet form factor. Let's not debate the MAC/PC difference. I have never seen a MAC in a hospital.

[alainassaf]

While I agree with you that computing in hospitals is behind a lot of industries, this is more a failure on device/software manufacturers. Hospitals have unique work flows and processes that do not lend themselves to what is currently developed for other industries. Doctors want to be very mobile and carry a responsive, small, device that will last through an 8 hour shift and not be intimating to the patient. Nurses, want an unobtrusive device that is easy to use and read (a majority of experienced nurses have trouble with small devices) and won' get in the way of patient care. These devices also need to be easy to clean (all computers in hospitals are dangerous germ factories) and durable (take a drop on the floor).
You also have to worry about HIPPA and sometimes the FDA depending on the device. The push to EMR is a multi-year, multi-million dollar project for any hospital that takes it on because these systems have to be customized for every workflow present in the hospital (emergency room, ICU, hospice, pediatric all operate differently) and they also have to met federal guidelines of data integrity and data transportability.
Now all that being said, if this Apple Tablet device was being designed to work in this environment, that would be a change of direction for Apple who has been mostly concerned with home users. Also, this device would have to be sub $1000 to get a decent footprint in hospitals. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

[cowhide--2008]

"No one knows what Tchao?s actual duties are, but considering his previous experience with the tablet format, some are speculating Tchao may be back to help Apple figure out a way to market its mythical tablet."

Wrong. It is about his experience with Apple and Nike. What do they now have in common. The tennis shoe that works with iPods.

He is here to develop a iShoe. Imagine a shoe with the Apple design touch. No laces, no tongue and fits either foot. It would improve your running, walking and skipping. However, it can be worn with only Apple socks and is only sold at one location Sears.