Newton Attracts Curiosity, Not Buyers

Apple Computer, Inc. is calling its new computer the harbinger of a "new world," but Harvard students--echoing industry sentiment--aren't buying it.

The Newton MessagePad, which hit the market in August, is part of a new wave of pen-operated palm-top computers. It weighs under one pound and can be trained to recognize a user's handwriting, a feature that Apple hopes will make it the most personal of today's personal computers.

But despite their initial curiosity about the MessagePad, students who tried the computer at the Coop last weekend left with lukewarm opinions of it.

Divia K. Chopra `94 said the machine was "a good toy" but was frustrated by its erratic handwriting recognition.

"If you have an unusual name, it won't recognize it," she said. Chopra had been addressed by the Newton as "Billy" and "Terry."

But Alex R. Magaro `93 did not even value the Newton as a gimmick. He said it was "a pain in the neck" and that he hoped future models would prove more useful.

Another problem with the computer, according to students, is the steep price--$699 for the bare-bones unit. For that money, many students would rather invest in a more practical unit, according to Harvard Computer Society president Jeff Tarr `96.

But Apple may not have expected heavy student sales.

The company has barely made an attempt to target campus markets, according to David Etheridge, manager of customer service at the Technology Product Center.

Etheridge said sales of the product have consequently been limited to a handful of "cutting edge users."

In fact, Tarr said he thinks he is the only student owner of a Newton on campus. And he said doesn't expect that to change much, either.

At a recent campus demonstration of the machine, he said, students were impressed with the MessagePad--but not impressed enough to buy it.

"Everyone said 'I want one,' but no one said 'I need one,'" Tarr said.

"The MessagePad is not designed for students," he said. "That's the bottom line."