Newton

Newton was Apple Computer's first attempt to create a mobile platform for the handheld market. A series of devices were released from 1993 to 1997 by Apple and third-party companies, all running various versions of Newton OS.

Development
The Newton project was begun by Steve Sakoman around 1987 with the support of Apple executives Jean-Louis Gassée and John Sculley. However the scope of the project ballooned out of control with an -sized prototype, codenamed Figaro, which was expected to cost over 6000 by 1992. Sakoman and Gassée left Apple to form Be, Inc. Sculley assigned Larry Tesler to salvage the project and Steve Capps was brought in after creating a working mockup in HyperCard. Three models were then planned: a larger 9 x 12 inch version codenamed Senior with a target price of $5000, a mid-sized 6 x 9 inch version with a target price of under $2000 that was quickly cancelled, and a small 4.5 x 7 inch version codenamed Junior with a target price of around $500 which would go on to become the MessagePad. Apple established a new Personal Interactive Electronics (PIE) division in 1992 to develop and market the devices.

Release
Apple CEO John Sculley unveiled the first device, tentatively called the Newton NotePad, on May 29, 1992 during the keynote address of the in Chicago,. However, it was still beset by thousands of bugs when 4,000 prototype units went into production on May 26, 1993 for use at displays at retail stores. The first MessagePad finally began shipping on August 3, 1993 at Macworld Expo Boston for the base price of 699. However, there were accusations of price gouging as high as $897 of early customers who had waited in long lines. Third-party companies signed up for licenses to produce their own versions of Newton devices, with the Sharp Expert Pad PI-7000 being announced at the same time as original MessagePad. By 1995, tepid sales of the MessagePad 120 forced Apple to resort to rebates to help move inventory of devices and accessories.

Discontinuation
The Newton Systems Group was spun off from Apple Computer on July 1, 1997 into a wholly-owned subsidiary company, Newton, Inc. The MessagePad 2100 was the first and only model to be released under the "Newton Technology" brand. The subsidiary was soon re-absorbed back into Apple after CEO Gil Amelio was fired by the board and Steve Jobs took over as interim CEO. Jobs cancelled the Newton on February 27, 1998, causing fans and developers to protest at the Apple's 1 Infinite Loop campus on the following March 6th.

Legacy
Former Apple Newton developers founded Pixo, the company that created the operating system for the original iPod in 2001. The iPhone and iPad, released in 2007 and 2010 respectively, are considered to be spiritual successors to the MessagePad. A similar stylus did not appear from Apple until 2015 with the Apple Pencil for the iPad Pro. In 2020, iPadOS 14 introduced handwriting recognition for Apple's iPad line.

Apple Computer

 * MessagePad (model H1000), also known as "Original MessagePad" or "OMP".
 * MessagePad 100, same specs as "OMP", but with a newer version of Newton OS.
 * MessagePad 110
 * MessagePad 120
 * MessagePad 130
 * eMate 300
 * MessagePad 2000
 * MessagePad 2100
 * MessageSlate (unreleased)

Digital Ocean

 * Tarpon, based on the MessagePad 120.
 * Seahorse, based on the MessagePad 130.



Harris Network Support Systems

 * Harris SuperTech 2000, based on the MessagePad 120.

Motorola

 * Motorola Marco, based on the MessagePad 120 with 5MB ROM.

Schlumberger

 * Schlumberger Watson, based on the MessagePad 2000.

Sharp

 * Sharp Expert Pad PI-7000, based on the Original MessagePad.
 * Sharp Expert Pad PI-7100, based on the MessagePad 100.

Siemens

 * Siemens NotePhone, based on the Original MessagePad.
 * Siemens Online Terminal, based on the MessagePad 2000.

Articles

 * Apple Discontinued the Newton 25 Years Ago Today by Hartley Charlton at MacRumors (2023-02-27)
 * Remembering the Apple Newton's Prophetic Failure and Lasting Impact by Matt Honan at Wired (2013-08-05)
 * Marketer's Dream, Engineer's Nightmare by John Markoff at The New York Times (1993-12-13, archived 2015-05-26)