Sharp Expert Pad PI-7000

The Sharp Expert Pad PI-7000 was a touchscreen mobile device that was released by Sharp Corporation, based on the Newton platform from Apple Computer.

Release
The Expert Pad PI-7000 was released on August 3, 1993 at Macworld Expo Boston for 899 and began shipping to retailers in September with expected street prices of $699. Sharp also produced Apple's version of the device, the original MessagePad, which went on sale at the same time. Sharp had projected sales of millions of units, but only about 10,000 were sold in the first year.

Features
Like the original MessagePad, the Expert Pad PI-7000 featured a 20 MHz ARM 610 processor with 640 KB of static RAM. 448 to 482 KB of RAM was used by Newton OS, depending on the version, leaving 158 to 192 KB available for user data. Storage space could be expanded through the PCMCIA Type II slot. The monochrome LCD screen displayed 336 x 240 pixels. A 9600 baud fax modem was optional.

System updates
Software patches updated the OS of the PI-7000 from Newton OS 1.0 to 1.0.5. The Expert Pad PI-7000G became available in late 1993 with the ROM upgraded to version 1.1 to include German support. The final patch was version 1.1.1. The Expert Pad PI-7100 contained virtually the same hardware as the PI-7000, but the newer model's ROM could support up to Newton OS 1.3 like the MessagePad 100, unlike their respective predecessors.

Articles

 * Sharp launches Newton as PI-7000 Expert Pad at $900… at Computer Business Review (1993-08-03)
 * Expert Pad is a Sharp version of Apple's Newton MessagePad by Yvonne L. Lee at InfoWorld (1993-08-16)
 * The rise and fall of the Apple Newton MessagePad: Launching MessagePad p.4 by Tony Smith at The Register (2013-09-17)