Newton at hand

APPLE Computer said on Friday it plans to start shipping the first version of its much-awaited Newton hand-held computer by the middle of this year.

The device, which Apple has positioned as fitting in somewhere between full-blown personal computers and hand-held electronic datebooks, is expected to sell for about US$700 and be about the size of a videocassette.

Apple first announced a year ago at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that it planned to move into pocket-sized product categories using digital technology.