Apple Unveils Newton 2.0

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With targets clearly set on the vertical and mobile professional markets, Apple took a slight stumble out of the gate to introduce its long awaited successor to the Newton Intelligence operating system found on all Newtons up to the recent MessagePad 120. Originally planned for a formal introduction at Fall COMDEX, an external printing and mailing mix-up forced Apple to let the news pour forward without the planned fanfare that the company hoped would help catapult the new technology into the public imagination. But not to worry. Newton 2.0 is a significant update that plots a welcomed evolutionary path forward.

A Newton With a Keyboard?

While Newton 2.0 features several technical and user interface improvements, one that will likely receive a great deal of attention is that the system is now compatible with a new Apple-supplied keyboard. The mid-size keyboard, which connects to the Newton’s serial port, has a nice feel that should make lengthy data input more palatable to many people. This is all the more useful when coupled with another major new feature: Newton 2.0 can be used in landscape mode.

Landscape mode, as it is currently implemented, has its pluses and minuses. The advantage, of course, is that you can write multiple words and sentences more naturally using the additional space. In addition, you can prop the Newton on its side and type text using the keyboard in a more familiar layout. However, most people that choose to hold the Newton while writing will simply think that it is oriented the wrong way. If you hand a MessagePad to a person and ask him or her to hold it in landscape mode, most are likely to rest the “fat” end with the battery compartment in the palm of their hand. Newton 2.0 uses the opposite orientation, forcing you to handle the device using its thin top edge.

Apple claims that the reason this has to do with the fact that the handwriting recognition algorithms would be adversely affected by the other orientation, but other sources down play this explanation. Whatever the reason, given the choice of including the feature as it is, or delaying it until a later release, Apple chose the former. It was the right decision.

User Interface Improvements

Newton 2.0 includes a number obvious and not so obvious user interface improvements that should make interacting with the device more efficient and pleasant. The most directly noticeable change is the adoption of a new system font called Casual. Similar to the Adobe font Tekton, Casual is distinctly larger and bolder than the present day font, and has the appearance of nicely stylized hand printing. The system also enables you to do very simple ink processing, somewhat akin to aha! software’s excellent InkWriter software, though not as feature-rich or powerful.

Handwriting recognition also gets a boost with Newton 2.0. Not only has the dictionary been expanded to include about 30,000 words, but the system now employs a new dictionary-aided, but not dictionary based print recognizer. This feature, which is like “Letter by Letter” only more powerful, prevents some of the sillier recognition mistakes that many critics were quick to latch on to. Double tapping on a word now allows you to make more refined corrections using a PenPoint-style segmented input box with a separate area for each character.

Users will also notice the addition of a button on the status bar called “New.” This button enables you to create new notes using different stationary. Being an extensible feature, developers will be able to add their application stationary to this button, enabling new information of all types to be captured more quickly and intuitively. Current stationary within Newton 2.0 includes a checklist, an outline, and a regular note.

Almost all of the built-in applications have received new features. The Extras drawer, home to third-party applications has also been updated. Using Newton 2.0, you can now select, highlight, delete, and file applications with ease. As one Apple developer noted, the Extras drawer is definitely more “Finder-like.”

Communication has also been made simpler through the use of a routing envelope with a recipient list, a return address, and a Magic Cap-style stamp to indicate the means of delivery. The inbox has also been extended, now serving as a system-wide extensible application for new communication systems. And, for the first time, you will be able to send and receive faxes on your Newton through the use of an optional fax modem.

Where Do I Get One?

Newton 2.0 will debut on Apple’s MessagePad 120 platform, though Apple expects the new system to also appear on products from Newton licensees Motorola and Harris. As you may recall, the MessagePad 120 features a socketed ROM making it ideal for an upgrade program which Apple indeed plans to offer. Apple should release details concerning the upgrade program in time for Fall COMDEX in mid-November.

Apple aims to maintain its current pricing structure, with Newton 2.0-equipped MessagePads pegged at a suggested retail price of US $699. The Newton keyboard will be available for US $99.

Apple Computer
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