Keeping Newtons Alive and Kicking

Grant Hutchinson has never owned an iPad. He does, however, own some 15 dozen

Newton devices, a few of which he uses every day to help manage tasks, like keep

his schedule in order and track clients for his software business. Hutchinson is just

one of a few thousand people worldwide who collect and even use Apple’s first

mobile computing device. The Newton was discontinued in 1998 after Steve Jobs

returned to Apple and cut the company to the bone to save it.

Some consider the Newton one of Apple’s biggest duds. However, Newton’s

diehard fans and tech historians see the device as having been ahead of its time.

The Newton is the spiritual forebear of iPhones and iPads: in its own clunky way, it

tried to do the kinds of tasks that are effortless today.

So why would anyone rely on a bulky, obsolete digital message pad, an Apple

failure so big that it inspired a week’s worth of humiliating Doonesbury comic strips

lampooning the device?

Despite problems with handwriting recognition and a hefty price tag, the

Newton was technologically sophisticated for its time. Some Apple fans think the

computing power of the iPhone or the iPad wouldn’t be possible if the Newton

hadn’t paved the way. They note that Jobs may have taken great personal pride in

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A Group of enthusiasts keep their Apple

Newtons aglow. PHOTO: Adam Tow