Newton OS

Newton OS was an operating system developed by Apple Computer for Newton mobile devices, such as the MessagePad series and the eMate 300.

History
Newton OS 1.0 was first released with the original MessagePad on August 3, 1993. Version 1.3 was initially released with the MessagePad 120 for German market in October 1994, and then became available as a downloadable software update on January 30, 1995 for existing users of the MessagePad 100 and 110.

In December 1995, the MessagePad 120 became the first model to be upgradeable to version 2.0 through the replacement of a socketed ROM chip. Version 2.1 was the final release in March 1997 and the product line was discontinued on February 27, 1998.

Some users claimed that Newton OS was a stripped-down tablet version of classic Mac OS but Apple stated that it is not.

Legacy
Former Apple Newton developers founded Pixo, the company that created the operating system for the original iPod in 2001.

Articles

 * The Newton Operating System (PDF) by Apple Computer Inc. and Wayfarer Communications Inc. at the IEEE Computer Conference (1994-02-28)
 * First Look: Newton OS 2.0 by Vernon Huang, M.D. at Pen Computing #7 (1995-12)
 * Apple Newton - A Personal Digital Assistant from 25 years ago by Matthew Goodrich at Adafruit (2019-10-29)