G.
------- Forwarded Message
From: "Newton Developer Information" <newtondev@newton.apple.com>
Errors-To: newtondev@newton.apple.com
Precedence: Bulk
Subject: A Message From Sandy Benett
To: Newton.Developer@scv1.apple.com
Reply-To: newtondev@newton.apple.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Dear Newton Developers and Customers,
Regrettably, there has been a great deal of misinformation
in the newspapers of late regarding our Newton program. An
uninformed outsider's view of the situation coupled with
relentless doom-n-gloom reports in the popular media could
lead one to believe Apple was in the process of
"shutting-down" the Newton division. This is not the case.
I want to take this opportunity to provide you with an
update on our continued commitment to our products and to
you, our developers and customers. We are committed to
complete marketing and sales efforts to launch our two
exciting products this quarter. Both of these products are
in manufacturing ramp and are on target to ship later this
quarter. And we continue to develop future products.
On the marketing front, to support the shipment of the
MP2000 and the eMate 300 we are participating in a number
of events over the next couple of months including the
following:
* Demo '97 (Feb 10-12)
* HIMMS - Healthcare show (Feb 17-20)
* MacWorld Tokyo (Feb 19-21)
* FETC - Education Show (Feb 27- Mar 1)
* CEBIT - one of the biggest shows in Europe, held in
Hanover, Germany (March 16-23)
In addition to these events, eMate 300 ads are beginning to
appear in education focused publications such as Education
Week, Electronic Learning and Technology & Learning. We
will be advertising the Message Pad 2000 between April and
June in both Windows and Mac publications, as well as
general business dailies. Other marketing activities for
the eMate 300 and MessagePad 2000 include conducting direct
mail campaigns to the school superintendents in March and
the MessagePad installed base in April, revamping our
website to include more customer focused information on
our platform, new products, success stories from customers
using our technologies, etc., and utilizing our PR engine
to regain momentum amongst key industry press and analysts.
On the engineering and development front, we are continuing
the internal efforts on our product roadmap for future
Newton-based products. There are currently projects
underway at all phases of the development cycle - from
early concept to full development These projects build
upon the strength of the MessagePad 2000 and eMate 300 and
focus on future customer needs and expectations in mobile
computing.
In light of the recent reorganization of Apple Computer, the
Newton Systems Group remains intact under the direction of
Jim Groff and myself. The Newton Systems Group continues
to be focused exclusively on this marketplace and expect to
be the leader in the category. The feedback that we have
received from analysts and others who have received
"pre-release" units has been extremely positive. The
comparisons to WinCE devices has been very favorable and we
are anticipating exceptional response when we begin
shipping these two products later this quarter. Advance
orders on these products is running above expectations.
The Newton platform is alive and well, and I hope we can
count on your continued support.
Thank you for your support and commitment to the Newton
platform, together we will succeed.
Sandy Benett
Vice President, Newton Systems Group
------- End of Forwarded Message