Apple Not Readying a PDA Says Former Newton Dvision Member


Rumors of an Apple-branded PDA have been rife for years - ever since Steve Jobs returned to Cupertino and made killing the Newton one of his first order of business. And Apple isn't about to re-enter the PDA market, according to an industry veteran.

Albert Chu formerly worked at Apple's Newton division, and now works as Vice President Business Development at PalmSource, which develops the Palm OS. In an interview with MacUser UK, Chu says Apple won't return to PDAs because the company simply isn't "big enough".

"Apple probably can't afford entry in to the market 'cause its going to cost so much to get in," Chu says in the interview. He views competitors, such as Dell, as able to invest in a PocketPC due to its relatively small investment in R&D. Apple, by contrast, tends to design products from the ground up, adding significantly to R&D costs. This, for Chu, represents a significant barrier to market entry.

Chu also talks about the revolutionary influence Newton had, althoug he concedes it was released too soon, with the handwriting recognition technology not ready for prime time.

Chu praises Palm for getting it the PDA concept right in terms of size and battery life. He also talks about the future for the Palm OS.

Analysis: Despite Jobs' assertions that the PDA market is "not a good place to be" right now, he cannot deny Apple attempted to buy Palm some time ago. No PDA maybe - but 'smart phones' are hitting the market and, given the success of iPod, one wonders whether the much-touted iPhone is on the horizon.