Apple, Sharp to Build Personal Organizer

Apple Computer, moving to implement its new consumer electronics strategy, said late Thursday that it would team with Sharp Corp. of Japan to build a next-generation personal information device.

Under the agreement, which has been the subject of speculation in the industry for several months, Sharp will be the first licensee for a new Apple software technology designed for a special-purpose, hand-held computer. The two companies will work together in developing a product for delivery in early 1993.

While the companies disclosed no details about the product, industry sources say it will be a personal organizer along the lines of the Sharp Wizard. It is expected to be operated with a pen rather than a keyboard, and will feature a wireless communications link allowing it to share information with other computers.

The new Apple software is not expected to be compatible with the company’s Macintosh software, though it is believed to include many similar graphical features.

Apple Chairman John Sculley in January said the company planned to develop a series of new products that he called personal digital assistants. Partnerships with Japanese companies, he said, would be a key component of that strategy. Apple already works closely with Sony Corp. but has said it was looking for additional partners.

Sharp has expertise in making small electronic devices such as the Wizard, and is also considered to have the world’s most advanced flat-panel display screens--a critical technology for portable computing products. Sculley said in a statement that the combination of Apple software and Sharp’s hardware expertise would make a powerful team.

Both companies will have the right to manufacture the new product. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the agreement included plans for additional products in the future. Apple plans to have a broad line of personal information devices for a variety of functions.