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History of the Apple Newton

Posted by Zonk on Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:28 PM
from the bonk-ow! dept.
Businesses Handhelds Apple Hardware
Sabah Arif writes "We've all heard of Apple's Newton, the portable handheld device under John Sculley's rule at Apple that debuted to big media attention and much fanfare but never managed to take a strong footing in the marketplace. The same handhel that went on to be 'Steve'd' when Mr. RDF killed the project after taking control of Apple. That's the extent of knowledge most of us have with regard to Apple's first handheld device. OS Opinion sheds light on the early days of the pocket Apple." From the article: "Apple in the late eighties had become stagnant. The Macintosh had become Apple's cash cow like the Apple II that had preceded it. To protect the Mac, Apple was hesitant to start or pursue any project that might compromise the company's revenues. Several people in the corporation were weary of this approach, and began to look at the future of computing. One of those people was Steve Sakoman."
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  • Beat up Martin (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:29PM (#12706159)
    Eat up Martha

    • Re:Beat up Martin (Score:3, Informative)

      by xCepheus (687775)
      For those of you who are not a fan of the Simpsons or don't have all 350+ episodes memorized by heart this is a reference where the school bullies (Jimbo, Nelson and others) make a note on their Newton to "Beat up Martin" (Martin Prince one of the nerdiest and smartest kids in school) using the Newton Stylus. After writing in the phrase... the Newton interprets the Stylus input as "Eat up Martha." In frustration, the bullies throw the Newton at Martin which hits him in the head.

      God, I'm such a nerd.
    • Yet again, another clueless mod shows his ignorance...
    • If you used one of the original Newtons you would have seen this word more times than the sum of all previous times in your life. It seemed that every time I entered a contraction beginning with a capital I, this was what it was interpreted as. Gary Trudeau of lampooned the whole Fiji thing in his Doonesbury strip when the Newton came out.

  • More history of tablets/handhelds at Apple (Score:3, Interesting)

    by KFury (19522) * on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:31PM (#12706176) Homepage
    Written four years ago, here's a piece about Apple's other historical tablet initiatives [fury.com], and speculation about a Mac tablet (there's always speculation)...
  • I once got to talk with Larry Yeager, the guy who supposibly helped write the handwriting recognition software for the Newton and a lot of other neat software. He now lives about 30 minutes away from Bloomington and Apple paid the ISP I used to work for to have a T1 out to his house (back in the 90s when that was about $3000 a month for such a service). Really sharp guy, look him up on the net sometime.
    • "Rosetta! Rosetta! Rosetta!"

      • Re:Larry Yeager (Score:3, Informative)

        by pilgrim23 (716938)
        Since no one got it: the above is the embbeded Newton easter egg. Type Rosetta! Rosetta! Rosetta! and the 3rd Rosetta! is replaced by "Hey That's Me!" Incidentally, the same easter egg is there in the current Mac OS X's handwritting component: Inkwell. Understandable; the Newton software was far ahead of its time.

  • Way ahead of its time (Score:5, Interesting)

    by MoonFacedAssassin (539728) * on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:35PM (#12706212)
    The Newton was way ahead of its time in many aspects: versatility, portability, object-oriented based language (at first), etc. If the Newton had flourished as well as our current Palm devices and Pocket PC devices, we might all be using Newtons, or a derivative, instead.

    Of course, we can all thank the Newton for paving the way to a lot of our mobile device concepts. Well, the Newton, and Star Trek.
    • pricing is important. As I recall, it didn't catch on because it was too expensive.
      They were like a grand each, in '80s dollars.
      • I owned a MP130. The other problems were the built in software, while innovative, wasn't nearly as streamlined as the Palm PIM suite later released with the Pilot, the device was a bit sluggish, and the screen -- especially the MP100 -- was very hard to see and had a poor contrast ratio, and was really reflective and had lots of glare. Also, the handwriting recognition really sucked. And you're right, they were also pretty expensive. The Newton had a ton of good ideas and was very innovative, but it was
    • It was only ahead of its time because it was rushed to market and consequently didn't do what its target customer base needed it to do (or more specifically, it did, but made it 1000x more complex than needed). Maybe the Palm, which came out three years later, was not as Technologically Advanced as the Newton, but it was smaller and actually did what it needed to do. Hence why Palm is still in the market and Newton isn't.

      • Re:Way ahead of its time (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Registered Coward v2 (447531) on Thursday June 02 2005, @01:03PM (#12706481)
        I had the chance to use one of these things about five years ago. As part of a class, one thing we did was to take light intensity and temperature data. The really nice thing about the Newton was that, well before any of the Palm devices, you were able to take data, and then manipulate it right on the spot.

        AFAIK, the Newton got discontinued because there was no demand for it. They weren't selling well, so Apple decided that it wouldn't make them anymore. Had it come around several years later, just as Palms, etc, were exploding into the market, the current tablet PC market would be a lot different.

        I have an MP100, and it was ahead of it's time. It did a lot of things well (except HWR), and with a better processor HWR would've come along (and IAR Graffiti was available for the Newt).

        Later I had a 2K with keyboard and modem for a review I was writing. It truly was a very usuable laptop replacement, I carried it to class in grad school. Unfortunately, the price killed it - I also had a PalmPilot, as an organizer it's size and lower cost made it a far better machine than the Newton. For whatever reason, Apple decided not to develop the Newt to it's true potential while Palm created a new market.
        • It did a lot of things well (except HWR), and with a better processor HWR would've come along
          IIRC, the last generation of Newtons used the same processor (StrongARM @ ~200MHz or so) that was used in PocketPCs like 6 or 7 years later.

      • AFAIK, the Newton got discontinued because there was no demand for it. They weren't selling well, so Apple decided that it wouldn't make them anymore.

        Not quite true. Prior to Jobs' return to Apple, the Newton was spun off into a subsidiary of Apple, Newton Inc. Jobs' first act was to reabsorb Newton and then kill the project. It's widely known that Jobs was displeased with the Newton, partly because it was a John Sculley initiative.

        As a matter of fact, there was a fair bit of interest in the Newton t

  • Defying Gravity (Score:5, Informative)

    by tsangc (177574) on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:37PM (#12706234)
    There's a fantastic book called Defying Gravity about the development of Newton. It's worth the read.

    Sure wish I got one while they were around--a local store was giving away a copy free with every Newton 2100 back in the day.
    • My mother gave me a copy maybe 10 years ago. It is a facinating look inside Apple, and I thought it was interesting to see how their product development worked. Also - their decisions about what NOT to do...

  • RDF (Score:3, Interesting)

    by mavpion (5416) on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:38PM (#12706251)
    Reality Distortion Field [wikipedia.org] The "power" of Steve Jobs to convince those around him of any truth he wishes them to see.

    Though, the Newton really was a failure. It did many things right, but it was too bulky and costly: the Palm Pilot was less sophisticated, but it really matched what consumers needed.

    • Re:RDF (Score:3, Funny)

      by ch-chuck (9622)
      The "power" of Steve Jobs to convince those around him of any truth he wishes them to see.

      So Jobs is a Jedi?

      <waves hand>You will pay too much for this music player</waves hand>

      I will pay too much for that music player.

      • Re:RDF (Score:3, Funny)

        by InfoVore (98438)
        So Jobs is a Jedi?
        Does that make Bill Gates a Sith?

        Hmmm. Lets see, the attributes of a Sith:

        1. Ruthless. Check.
        2. Almost unstoppably powerful. Check.
        3. Desire to dominate all they see. Check.
        4. "Always there are two, a Master and a Apprentice". Gates & 'Monkey-boy' Balmer, Check.
        5. Has questionable personal hygene. (At least until he married Melinda) Check.
        6. Routinely double-crosses 'partners'. Check.
        7. Corrupts others with their dark power. Check.

        Looks like a match so far, though I'm not co

  • A Wish for Newton Reborn as a Tablet (Score:3, Interesting)

    by sjbe (173966) on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:41PM (#12706277)
    I know some of you don't like the idea of Tablet PC but I think they are terrific personally. I've always wished that Apple would dump their Newton technology into a Tablet style machine. It would be fantastic for note taking during meetings and would allow me to better edit and distribute my notes. Not to mention the ones with the foldable keyboards are a more flexible form factor for mobile professionals like me. And I'd rather use a Mac than Windows with its underlying unix goodness and sweet interface.

    Who knows if we'll ever see it though. It's not clear if there is a big enough market (I think there is but the products aren't good enough yet) and Steve Jobs just doesn't seem fond of the idea. But if anyone could really make it work, I think it would be Apple. Guess I have to keep dreaming...
    • "I know some of you don't like the idea of Tablet PC but I think they are terrific personally."

      Truth be told, I'm stunned that the Slashdot community hasn't gone wild over the concept. (I suspect that the main reason here is that MS is touting it, therefore everybody goes into cynic mode...)

      The appeal of the TPC isn't the handwriting or all that malarky, it's that you can hold the unit and provide input to it while you're standing. In other words, you don't need a flat surface to use it like you do wit

  • Still waiting for a successor . . . (Score:3, Interesting)

    by myawn (562028) <mike@theYa w n s .com> on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:42PM (#12706282) Homepage
    I'm not able to read the article, as apparently the site was slashdotted after the second reader.

    I had several Newtons - an MP 100, an MP 120, and finally an MP 2000 (that was later upgraded to an MP 2100). The technology improved dramatically over those generations, and I really would love to see what would have emerged had development continued.

    Since the Newton, I've used Palm, PocketPC, and Sharp Zaurus PDAs, and have yet to find anything I consider a worthy successor to the Newton. The integration of all the applications was seamless, and the software was truly designed to be used on a PDA, not just scaled down from some desktop application.

    The form factor was a little clunky - either a smaller pocket-sized device, or a full-size tablet would have been better in my opinion - but I'm still looking for an overall user experience that's comparable, and haven't found it.

  • at first when i read the headline i thought it was talking about fig newtons with apple flavor..
  • here [networkmirror.com]

  • The caption is wrong. (Score:4, Funny)

    by hawk (1151) <hawk@eyry.org> on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:50PM (#12706352) Journal
    Thisis zketh the new ton with handwriting skjkl35. To be accurate, no sksk article can possibly de free of garbled tect.

    :)

    hawk

  • Egg Freckles (Score:3, Interesting)

    by soft_guy (534437) on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:51PM (#12706374)
    In a MP 120 with the 2.0 version of the OS, write "Egg Freckles" and then hit Assist.

    In the prototype MP 2000 units (code named "Q"), the first run or EVT units: Write "About Newton" and press Assist. In the DVT and production units it says "What about Newton?" followed by "What about xxx?" where xxx is the name of each developer who worked on the project (sequentially).

    In the EVT units, instead of the developer names, it uses Larry, Moe, Curly, and Shemp.

    Also, you gotta love the Area 51 Easter egg in the first 2.0 Newtons.

    There was also a Solar Eclipse easter Egg, but I can't remember what OS version/models had it. (Possibly the MP100.)

    I love the Newton.

  • Article in full (Score:3, Informative)

    by oscast (653817) on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:54PM (#12706403) Homepage
    "We've all heard of Apple's Newton, the portable handheld device under John Sculley's rule at Apple that debuted to big media attention and much fanfare but never managed to take a strong footing in the marketplace -- only to be "Steve'd" when Mr. RDF killed the project after taking control of Apple. That's the extent of knowledge most of us have with regard to Apple's first handheld device.

    Thomas Hormby submitted the following editorial to osOpinion/osViews, which gives us more in-depth knowledge about the Netwon project during its original development -- such as the fact that it could be said that the Netwon originated from a concept device Sculley called Knowledge Navigator."
    --

    Apple in the late eighties had become stagnant. The Macintosh had become Apple's cash cow like the Apple II that had preceded it. To protect the Mac, Apple was hesitant to start or pursue any project that might compromise the company's revenues. Several people in the corporation were weary of this approach, and began to look at the future of computing. One of those people was Steve Sakoman.

    Steve Sakoman worked at Hewlett Packard before he came to Apple, where he helped develop the first HP notebook. When he joined Apple he was happy that he 'was not going to make DOS clones for the rest of my life.' Steve had joined Apple to work on the MacPhone, a collaboration between Apple and AT&T.

    After the project was canceled, he saw that Apple was not willing to take the same risks it had with the original Macintosh or even the Macintosh II. He went to Apple's director of new products, Jean Louis Gass'e, and threatened to quit unless he was allowed to create the 'future Macintosh', a computer that would be as influential on the computer industry as the original Macintosh was. Gass'e sympathized with him, and gave him permission to begin an independent research group

    While Sakoman was at Hewlett Packard, he saw several 'hand entry computers that did not use keyboards. He was intrigued with the idea of scrapping the keyboard. The fact that most computers used a QWERTY keyboard was a mere fluke, he thought. Steve thought that a more natural method of input would take hold, like handwriting or speech.

    Sakoman set to work immediately, getting his brand new research group off the ground. He recruited developers from around the company, including some original Macintosh developers. Like the original Macintosh and their off-site office, Texaco Tower, the new team moved to a converted warehouse on Bubb Road. Steve named the team 'Newton'. He did so because Sir'Isaac Newton was featured prominently in Apple's original logo and because he had prompted so many changes in the way people viewed the world.

    At the time of the Macintosh II introduction, John Sculley had a video produced featuring his Knowledge Navigator device. He envisioned a tablet style device that would fold out to reveal a large color LCD display. The software would interpret the users commands via a humanoid assistant. The device could recognize voice commands, and interpret handwriting commands. Prescient of the internet, Sculley would have the device be able to communicate fluently with similar devices and servers around the world.

    The Knowledge Navigator never went any further than the video, but John Sculley hoped that the technologies he had envisioned in the device would find life in other Apple projects. He thought that the Newton would be able fulfill his vision, and became one of its most vocal proponents.

    The research group first found out what they wanted in a computer, and created a prototype design. Without any marketing staff, the team came up with a very advanced, very expensive device. The new machine was to be based on two AT&T Hobbit processors (a design that was very easy to program for) and would be about the size as an A4 sheet of paper, and feature a large, LCD, grayscale display. The true star of the new computer would be its software. The engineers wanted full handwriting recognition that

  • Replacement for keyboards (Score:5, Insightful)

    by yardbird (165009) * on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:57PM (#12706431) Homepage

    He was intrigued with the idea of scrapping the keyboard. The fact that most computers used a QWERTY keyboard was a mere fluke, he thought. Steve thought that a more natural method of input would take hold, like handwriting or speech.

    Handwriting: vastly slower than typing, even for crummy typists like me.

    Speech: unusable except in private.

    Does anyone see anything replacing keyboards anytime soon?

    • Re:Replacement for keyboards (Score:4, Funny)

      by NeoSkandranon (515696) on Thursday June 02 2005, @01:34PM (#12706770)
      Does anyone see anything replacing keyboards anytime soon?

      Datajack. :)
    • Does anyone see anything replacing keyboards anytime soon?

      Monkeys...or pidgeons. Chances are, they'll have a far less tenuous grasp on the written word than do the youth of today. Not to mention the fact that they'll work for next to nothing...
    • Telepathy.

      Or more accurately, creating an interface for a computer that can read your brainwaves so you can just think about what you want it to do. Probably 50-100 years off at least, but there are basics being done now (moving a cursor around a screen, etc).

      I think speech recognition will be used much more once we start getting more travel-friendly displays (e.g. beaming a display into your eyes from a pair of glasses or nearby low-powered laser). How often have I been driving and thought, "If only I co

  • Outliner (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Sabah Arif (830070)
    I am a Newton user (MP130), and my favorite feature is being able to create ink outlines. No other PDA that I know of includes the functionality out of the box.

  • The hosting company carries its name well... (Score:3, Funny)

    by OlivierB (709839) on Thursday June 02 2005, @12:59PM (#12706446)
    PostNuke... as in PostSlashdot!

  • still in use (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Therlin (126989) on Thursday June 02 2005, @01:01PM (#12706461)
    Have you ever gone to a Disney theme park and been asked to take a survey? The handheld they use to write down your answer is a Newton.

    Apple has a contract to supply Disney with them until 2010. ..... or so have I been told by an Apple higher up.

  • Everybody knows the Newton was really the work of DEC [elook.org], who were the true innovators with their Leibnitz line of handhelds.

    The Leibnitz never caught on, due to the unique marketing approach that was synonymous with Digital.

    :-}

  • Mmmm (Score:2)

    by ari_j (90255)
    Mmmm...newtons [nabiscoworld.com]. Or did you mean Caramel Apple [nabiscoworld.com]? I'm confused.
  • about the Newton. Truth is, it was a device far, far ahead of its time. Palm admittedly used it as a model for the first Palm Pilot. Even though Palm simplified the Pilot, eventually, it evolved into a machine that is much like the original Newton, in concept. I'm sure Apple would've made it smaller if technology permitted, but at the time, VHS size was the best they could do. Had they come out with at the same product 10 years later, (smaller form-factor, of course) it would've taken off. Timing is everyth

  • Still using my Newton 120 to this day... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by SClitheroe (132403) on Thursday June 02 2005, @03:11PM (#12707664) Homepage
    And I love it. I print rather than write with it, and I find the accuracy is great. I also have Grafitti installed on it, but I hardly ever use it.

    I've used Palms and PocketPC's, but go back to the Newton for it's simple and elegant interface, which makes we actually want to use it, and keep my calendar and contacts up to date.

    Although the HWR gets all the attention whenever someone writes about the Newton, the one aspect I would have loved to see advanced and developed was the Assist button. Tap on it, enter something like "Have lunch with Bob on Tuesday", and it will search your contact list, automatically create a meeting on Tuesday for you.

  • Why the Apple Newton Failed (Score:4, Interesting)

    by bani (467531) on Thursday June 02 2005, @03:56PM (#12708139)
    Why the Apple Newton Failed [g4tv.com] - written by Larry Tesler, Newton Development lead for two years.
    • "Old news for Nerds. Stuff that doesn't matter."

      Yet, still interesting enough to post a comment in. I wouldn't mind, but more comments means more apparent interest in these stories.

    • Re:Slashdot (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Maestro4k (707634)
      Old news for Nerds. Stuff that doesn't matter.
      This is a rather universal sentiment nowadays, but the cliche that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it is quite often accurate. This applies to nerds as well, especially in technology. Looking at what was done with the Newton can help us understand why it failed and potentially help us to prevent similar problems from happening in future products.

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