Apple Newton
Newton was one of the world's first personal digital assistants (PDA). Developed by Apple Computer and sold from 1993 to 1998, it was based on the ARM processor, and featured handwriting recognition. Apple's official name for the device was MessagePad; the term Newton was Apple's name for the operating system it used, but popular usage of the word Newton has grown to include the device and its software together.
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2 Technical details 3 eMate 4 Later efforts 5 Newton models 6 Appearances in popular culture 7 External links |
Newton was unsuccessful in the marketplace for two primary reasons: its high price (which went up to $1000 when models 2000 and 2100 were introduced), and its large size (it failed the "pocket test" by not fitting in an average coat, shirt, or pants pocket). Critics also panned its handwriting recognition. These problems would largely be solved by another company with the Palm Pilot, released after Newton was discontinued.
The Newton marketing campaign trumpeted its handwriting recognition, though in initial versions it was fairly inaccurate. The original handwriting recognition engine was called Calligrapher, and was licensed from a Russian company called Paragraph International. It was actually quite sophisticated; unlike the later Palm Pilot which made the user learn a new handwriting system and write each letter in an input area, Newton learned the user's handwriting (using a database of known words to make guesses as to what the user was writing) and could interpret writing anywhere on the screen. Newton could also recognize and clean up simple drawn shapes such as triangles, circles, and squares. Later releases of the Newton operating system retained the original recogniser for compatibility, but added a printed-text recogniser, code-named "Rosetta," which was developed by Apple, included in version 2.0 of the Newton operating system, and refined in Newton 2.1. Rosetta was generally considered a significant improvement and many users consider the Newton 2.1 handwriting recognition software better than any of the alternatives since.
Recognition and computation of handwritten horizontal and vertical formulas such as "1 + 2 =" was also under development but never released because the principal engineer working on it went on leave.
Newton used an advanced object-oriented programming system called NewtonScript, developed by Apple employee Walter Smith [1]. One of the major complaints programmers had was that the Toolbox programming environment was overpriced at $1000 (late in the life of the Newton the programming environment was made available for free). Additionally, it required learning a new way of programming. Despite this, many third-party and shareware applications were (and continue to be) available for Newton. It has been suggested that the NewtonScript programming system should be made available open-source (as "abandonware") but most Newton enthusiasts consider this possibility to be highly unlikely.
Data in Newton was stored in object-oriented databases known as soups. One of the revolutionary aspects of Newton was that soups were available to all programs; and programs could operate cross-soup; meaning that the calendar could refer to names in the address book; a note in the notepad could be converted to an appointment, and so forth; and the soups could be programmer-extended - a new address book enhancement could be built on the data from the existing address book.
The MessagePad used standard serial ports (Apple DB9 style, via a dongle connector in the 2000/2100 models) for communications; all models also had infrared connectivity. Unlike the Palm, all MessagePad models were equipped with a standard PCMCIA expansion slot (two on the 2000/2100). This allowed native modem and even Ethernet connectivity. With the 1xx series, an optional keyboard became available, which could also be used via the dongle on a 2x00. Newton could also dial a phone number through the MessagePad speaker (simply hold a telephone handset up to the speaker) and fax / email support was built in at the operating system level (although it required external cards).
The MessagePad 2000 and 2100, with a vastly-improved handwriting recognition system, 160 MHz ARM processor, Newton 2.1, and a better, clearer, backlit screen, were among Apple's finest products. Although their large size kept them from being as popular as today's PalmOS devices, many users still swear by them. Their handwriting recognition is still considered by many the best in the world, with only the recent Tablet PC handwriting recognition system coming close. Newton 2.0 and 2.1 were in many ways a breakthrough in handheld operating systems, one that many feel has yet to be beaten even years after its discontinuation.
The MessagePad could be used with the screen turned horizontally ("landscape") as well as vertically ("portrait"). A change of a setting would instantly rotate the contents of the display by ninety degrees. Handwriting recognition would still work properly with the display rotated.
Apple and third parties marketed several "wallets" for the MessagePads, which would hold them securely along with the owner's credit cards, driver's license, business cards, and cash. These wallets were even larger than the MessagePads and even less able to fit in a pocket, so they were most often used as a protective case for the unit to shield it from bumps and scratches.
A small detachable serial keyboard was available separately.
The eMate 300 was offered to schools in 1997 as an inexpensive (about $500 US, less in quantity to schools) and extremely durable computer for classroom use. The eMate had the a larger monochrome screen than the MessagePad, a stylus, a full-sized keyboard, an infrared port, and ports for printers and modems. Power came from built-in rechargable batteries. Its exterior was a translucent plastic green shell with a built-in handle. It was supposed to be durable enough to be dropped from arm height on a hard floor without damage, a rugged design that would eventually influence the first iBook series. The eMate was cancelled along with the rest of the Newton line.
Many prototypes of additional Newton models were spotted. Most notable was a Newton tablet or "slate," a large, flat screen which could be written on. Others included a "Kids Newton" with side handgrips and buttons, "VideoPads" which would have incorporated a video camera and screen on their flip-top covers for two-way communications, the "Mini 2000" which would have been very similar to Palm Pilot, and the "NewtonPhone" (developed by Siemens AG) which incorporated a handset and a keyboard.
Before the Newton project was cancelled, it was "spun off" into its own company, Newton Inc., but was reabsorbed several months later when Steve Jobs ousted Apple CEO Gil Amelio and reassumed control of Apple. There has since been continual speculation that Apple might release a new PDA with some Newton technology or collaborate with Palm. Apple continues to deny that such a project will ever happen.
The Apple iPod is somewhat of a descendant of the Newton in that it is a pocket-sized greyscale programmable device based on the ARM processor. Two ex-Apple Newton developers founded Pixo, the company that created the iPod's OS. The Pixo website is at "http://www.pixo.com/".
Feeding a bit of speculation, Apple put the Newton 2.1 handwriting recognition system into Mac OS X version 10.2 (known as "Jaguar"), which can be used with any graphics tablet to seamlessly input handwritten text anywhere there was an insertion point on the screen. This technology, known as "Inkwell", appears in the System Preferences whenever a tablet input device is plugged in. Whether Apple will ever utilize such technology again in a handheld device remains to be seen.
Overview
Technical details
eMate
Later efforts
Newton models
Appearances in popular culture
External links