Apple Could Be Planning Return to PDA Market

With the iPhone and iPod Touch out the door, Apple is apparently reviving an effort to develop a successor to the Newton, the device that helped spur the PDA market.

The device uses the multi-touch technology that both devices currently feature, as well an an embedded version of Mac OS X Leopard. According to AppleInsider, the project has been underway for the past year and a half, spurred by development of the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Release is targeted for the first half of 2008, although the site seems to suggest the company may be targeting the next Macworld Conference in January to release the product.

According to sources, the device appears much like the iPhone, yet is about 1.5 times the size, and has a screen with a resolution of 720x480. It allows cut and paste and drag and drop functionality through the multi-tap interface.

Intel's new Silverhome processors may find their way into the devices. The approximate launch date matches with the chipmaker's target date for that project, although news sources indicate that when asked if Apple would be using the chip, the company had no comment.

Like any Apple project, it is likely that the existence of it will never be confirmed until the company actually releases the product. However, like with the iPhone, more details -- if any -- are sure to leak out over the coming months.