A MessagePad 2000 with stylus and keyboard.
The MessagePad was a series of touchscreen mobile devices and the very first tablet computer released by Apple Computer as part of its Newton platform.
Contents
History
A MessagePad prototype, codenamed "Junior".
On May 29, 1992, Apple CEO John Sculley unveiled the first device, tentatively called the Newton NotePad,[1] during the keynote address of the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, Illinois.[2][3] The first MessagePad was released on August 3, 1993 running a monochrome version of Newton OS, which was advanced for its day and came with a stylus similar to the Nintendo DS. The MessagePad 2000 and eMate 300 introduced grayscale support in March 1997, but the Newton platform was discontinued in February 27, 1998.[4]
Legacy
The iPhone and iPad, released in 2007 and 2010 respectively, are considered to be spiritual successors to the MessagePad.[5] A similar stylus did not appear from Apple until 2015 with the Apple Pencil for the iPad Pro.[6] In 2020, iPadOS 14 introduced handwriting recognition for Apple's iPad line.[7]
Models
| Model | Processor | Memory | Newton OS | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MessagePad H1000 |
20 MHz ARM 610 |
640 KB static RAM | 1.0 to 1.1.1 | 1993-08-03 to 1994-03-04 |
also known as "Original MessagePad" or "OMP"[8] |
| MessagePad 100 |
20 MHz ARM 610 |
640 KB static RAM | 1.2 to 1.3 | 1994-03-04 to 1995-04-01 |
same hardware as "OMP"[8] |
| MessagePad 110 |
20 MHz ARM 610 |
1 MB static RAM | 1.2 to 1.3 | 1994-03-04 to 1995-04-01 |
second form factor[9] |
| MessagePad 120 |
20 MHz ARM 610 |
1 or 2 MB static RAM | 1.3 to 2.0 | 1994-10-01 to 1996-06-01 |
improved display[10] |
| MessagePad 130 |
20 MHz ARM 610 |
2.5 MB static RAM | 2.0 | 1996-03-25 to 1997-04-01 |
added backlighting[11] |
| eMate 300 | 25 MHz ARM 710a |
1 MB dynamic RAM 2 MB flash RAM |
2.1 | 1997-03-07 to 1998-02-27 |
mini-laptop form factor[12] |
| MessagePad 2000 |
162 MHz StrongARM 110 |
1 MB dynamic RAM 4 MB flash RAM |
2.1 | 1997-03-24 to 1998-02-27 |
final form factor[13] |
| MessagePad 2100 |
162 MHz StrongARM 110 |
4 MB dynamic RAM 4 MB flash RAM |
2.1 | 1997-11-07 to 1998-02-27 |
final model[13] |
Gallery
References
- ↑ Apple gets to the core of a consumer division by Mark Potts, The Washington Post. 1993-01-17.
- ↑ On this day in 1992: Apple CEO John Sculley unveils the Newton, Apple's personal digital assistant, at CES in Chicago by Jon Erlichman, Twitter. 2017-05-29.
- ↑ Happy 25th birthday, Apple Newton, you beautiful failure by Stan Schroeder, Yahoo! Finance. 2017-05-29.
- ↑ Why did Apple kill the Newton? by David MacNeill, Pen Computing Magazine. 1998-06.
- ↑ Remembering the Newton MessagePad, 20 years later by Benj Edwards, Macworld. 2013-08-27.
- ↑ Review: Apple Pencil is the best iPad writing tool yet … if you can handle the Pro’s size by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac. 2015-11-24.
- ↑ iPadOS 14 introduces new features designed specifically for iPad, Apple Inc. 2020-06-22.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Luckie, Douglas. Newton MessagePad. Michigan State University. Archived from the original on 2014-02-26.
- ↑ Luckie, Douglas. Newton MessagePad 110. Michigan State University. Archived from the original on 2014-03-23.
- ↑ Luckie, Douglas. Newton MessagePad 120 (with OS 1.3 or 2.0). Michigan State University. Archived from the original on 2014-03-23.
- ↑ Luckie, Douglas. MessagePad 130 with Newton 2.0 Operating System. Michigan State University. Archived from the original on 2014-03-23.
- ↑ Luckie, Douglas. Apple eMate 300. Michigan State University. Archived from the original on 2014-03-23.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Luckie, Douglas. MessagePad 2100/2000 with OS 2.1. Michigan State University. Archived from the original on 2014-03-23.
See also
- eMate 300, a Newton device in a mini-laptop form factor.
External links
- Newton Products at Apple (archived 1997-07-07, 1998-02-04)
- MessagePad 120 (archived 1997-07-07)
- MessagePad 130 (archived 1997-07-07)
- MessagePad 2000 (archived 1997-07-07)
- MessagePad 2100 (archived 1998-02-04)
- Newton MessagePad Center at the Apple Company Store (archived 1997-07-15)
- Newtons and iPods at Apple Repair Manuals
- Newton Hardware at Chuma.org
- Newton MessagePad / eMate (NewtonOS) at EveryMac
- Message-Pad.net news, info, tech, and tutorials
- MessagePad at the Newton Glossary
- MessagePads at Newtonhonk
- General Specifications for Newtons and Clones at Newton Resurrection (mirrored 2009-10)
- Newton Hardware at PDA Soft
- MessagePad at Wikipedia
Articles
- A Guide to the Apple Newton by Stephen Hackett at 512 Pixels (2015-08-18)
- Retro Apple: The Apple Newton MessagePad was well ahead of its time by Steve Sande at Rocket Yard (2020-08-21, archived 2020-10-21)
