Newton



"Newton communicates."

The Newton was a portable computer platform by Apple. Newton OS powered the MessagePad line of PDAs and the eMate palmtop computer, as well as a number of devices from Motorola, Sharp, Digital Ocean, Siemens, and Harris. It was far ahead of its time, in more ways than one: it was rushed to the market before they got the handwriting recognition just right. Its quirks made it the butt of countless jokes, including some from Doonesbury and The Simpsons.

Despite major improvements in later versions, it was never a commercial success, and was promptly killed by Steve Jobs when he returned to Apple. Despite the clamor of its vocal fans, Jobs refused to release another handheld device until the iPhone, which eschewed writing recognition for a virtual keyboard. Still, some of the Newton's technology lives on as the "Ink" function of OS X.