Apple launched its first handheld computing device way back in 1993. With no internet access, flaky handwriting recognition, and an eye-watering price tag, the Newton MessagePad never stood much chance of success. But the writing was really on the wall with the arrival of the PalmPilot, a cheaper, more compact alternative, with a breakthrough text input system.

Inspired by the “Knowledge Navigator” concept video Apple published in 1987, the Newton MessagePad was ahead of its time, featuring bleeding-edge technologies like Assist, which enabled users to control the device using natural language, much like Siri today.

Although Steve Jobs scrapped the Newton on his return to Apple in 1998, its legacy lives on to this day. Apple’s investment in the Newton’s processor paid off big-time, providing vital working capital during the company’s darkest hour, and spawning a line of processors that powers every Mac, iPhone, and iPad today.

Featuring special guest D. Griffin Jones from The CultCast and Cult of Mac.

LINKS

Doonesbury “Egg Freckles” cartoon:
https://newtonglossary.com/terms/egg-freckles

Apple Knowledge Navigator Video:
https://youtu.be/umJsITGzXd0?si=1VNFsKBqXjt4bLeQ

Michael Tchao pitched the idea of the Newton to Apple’s CEO, John Sculley:
https://web.archive.org/web/20211112015207/https://www.wired.com/2013/08/remembering-the-apple-newtons-prophetic-failure-and-lasting-ideals/

How Newton’s handwriting recognition software was acquired on a trip to: Moscow:
https://www.cultofmac.com/436469/today-in-apple-history-steve-jobs-visits-the-soviet-union

How Griffin uses his MessagePad 2000 for playing Dungeons and Dragons:
https://www.cultofmac.com/825770/using-an-apple-newton-today/

Inkwell - Newton handwriting recognition in Mac OS X:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkwell_(Macintosh)

Newton and the ARM processor:
https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/09/05/apple-arm-have-been-crucial-to-each-others-survival-for-three-decades

eMate 3000
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMate_300

Apple Newton Messagepad 2000 image:
Ralf Pfeifer, GNU Free Documentation License
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_Newton.jpg

Apple eMate 300 image:
Felix Winkelnkemper, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_Newton_eMate_300_(cropped).jpg