Years Ago in PBC…

7 Years Ago in PBC…

There’s little doubt that successful pen-based computers will be built on 32-bit architectures. Initially, these architectures will be 80386-based or, in some cases, RISC-based; anything less—and this includes the 80286—simply won’t provide enough horsepower to drive pen-based systems. High-resolution displays, notebook interfaces, outline fonts, multitasking, power management, and handwriting translation will require higher performance, greater address space, and more precision than 16- bit processors can provide.

5 Years Ago in PBC…

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas last month, the Wall Street Journal summed up the main news as “Small, Portable, and Digital” (Jan. 8, 1993)—three words that aptly describe pen-based computers. So it was fitting that in the midst of all the new portable gadgetry on display at CES, Apple Computer again showed off a working model of its Newton hand-held computer, while Tandy and Casio showed a prototype of their handheld system code-named Zoomer. Apple didn’t reveal anything that we didn’t know already. The main point was to demonstrate that the company is making progress in bringing the Newton to market.

3 Years Ago in PBC…

All the people who kept repeating the mantra that the Newton doesn’t communicate will now have to admit that the Newton, at least one version of the Newton, does indeed communicate. At the San Francisco MacWorld Exposition, Motorola’s Wireless Data Group introduced the Marco Wireless Communicator to an enthusiastic audience. The Marco is the first wireless communicator based on the Newton architecture and opens the platform for an entirely new range of mobile applications including the often-talked about “killer app” of anytime, anywhere messaging.