Apple Computer was first off the mark when it comes to computers you can hold in the palm of your hand. Apple's Newton, though, was too far ahead of its time, the pundits said. I never got to try a Newton. I have, however, used lots of handhelds from Palm, the company that really drove the whole PDA and handheld revolution. Indeed, I still have a functioning original Palm Pilot. (One reason the Newton may have lost out to the Palm Pilot might have been size. Hard to fit a Newton into your shirt pocket.)
Investors and fans of Apple have long wondered why Apple, with its strong history of excellent design, didn't get back into the handheld market. Well, maybe they are. The Register reports that Apple has filed design trademarks for what looks like a wireless tablet, an iBook, if you will, without a keyboard. Apple, as it always does, declines to comment on any products it might or might not be developing.