Tablets

Remember the Newton Message Pad? The unknown Apple product

That Apple has changed the world of technology (and we could almost risk saying that the world in general as well) is something that no one doubts at this point. But those from Cupertino have also had some failures in their product catalogue, which have gone unnoticed and have been forgotten. An example is the Newton Message PadApple’s first attempt at a tablet back in the 90s.

What was the Newton Message Pad like?

In the late ’80s, Apple had an idea. A hybrid between the PDAs of the time and the current tablets. Was in the year 1993 when it was launched on the market Apple Newton Message Pada product arrived with a clear handicap: its software, Newton OS it was not mature enough and did not offer good user experience results.

In an era when the iPad didn’t exist yet, this Newton Message Pad hit the market with a black and white screen that we could control with a stylus. Among the functions it incorporated was the option of take freehand notes that could later be transcribed into digital text, save contacts, set alarms, use the calendar… Its possibilities were more focused on offering the user an electronic agenda. As for the hardware, it mounted a processor ARM RISC 610somewhat slow in practice.

apple newton message pad

The price and the operating system, the reason for its failure

Although the concept was interesting, the market was not yet ready to receive a product like the Newton Message Pad. In addition to being a product somewhat cut in functionality and with somewhat slow performance due to the fact that Newton OS was not as well developed as it should be, it was also quite expensive: 700 dollars for the time, which today would exceed four figures.

What is the positive message we can take from this? Today, Newton OS is considered to be the prelude to iOS. And for that alone it was worth it.

Via | Wikipedia

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