MessagePad
The first of the Newtons, the Newton MessagePad, was
released in 1993 and sold for $699 (about $1,200 in today’s
money). It was roughly 7 by 4 inches and weighed about
1 pound. Users were attracted to the device because the
stylus-based touchscreen that replaced a keyboard was
exciting for the time. Icons clearly identified the various
tasks it could perform, and features were easily launched
with a single tap of the stylus’s tip. Networking through
modem accessories and IR (infrared) ports was attractive to
people who worked in the field, such as salespeople. One
feature, Newton Assistant, was a stylus-driven precursor to
the voice-activated iPhone assistant, Siri.
The Newton went through a handful of iterations (one
version, the eMate, had a keyboard). Near the end of its run,
the Newton was embraced by many professionals, including
doctors, scientists, educators, and executives. The software
for recognizing handwriting was improved — it was nearly
perfect, claim some enthusiasts.
But Newton’s initial problems overshadowed later
improvements. Even as Apple refined the software over
the product’s five-year run, sales were unimpressive. Jobs
expressed disdain for the stylus, saying future computing
power should be guided with our fingertips.
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