Could the == operator be used  in this program
instead of the equals() method?
No. The == operator tests 
if two reference variables refer to the same object.
Here is the program, with changes:
import java.awt.*;
class EqualsDemo2
{
  public static void main ( String arg[] )
  {
    Point pointA = new Point( 7, 99 );   // first Point
    Point pointB = new Point( 7, 99 );   // second Point with equivalent data
    if ( pointA == pointB  )
      System.out.println( "The two variables refer to the same object" );   
    else
      System.out.println( "The two variables refer to different objects" );  
  }
}
 
The picture of the situation (after the two new operators have executed)
is the same as on the previous page.
What is the output of this program?