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Newton was unsuccessful in the marketplace for two primary reasons: its high price (which went up to $1000 when models 2000 and 2100 were introduced), and its large size (it failed the "pocket test" by not fitting in an average coat, shirt, or pants pocket). Critics also panned its handwriting recognition. These initial problems marred Newton's reputation in the eyes of the public, and PDAs would remain a niche product until Palm, Inc. introduced the Palm Pilot, before the Newton was discontinued. The Palm Pilot, with its smaller, thinner shape; cheaper cost; and more reliable (though less intuitive) handwriting recognition system, managed to restore the viability of the PDA market after Newton's commercial failure.
The Newton marketing campaign trumpeted its handwriting recognition, though in initial versions it was fairly inaccurate. The original handwriting recognition engine was called Calligrapher, and was licensed from a Russian company called Paragraph International. It was actually quite sophisticated; unlike the later Palm Pilot's Graffiti which made the user learn a new handwriting system and write each letter in an input area, Newton learned the user's handwriting (using a database of known words to make guesses as to what the user was writing) and could interpret writing anywhere on the screen. Newton could also recognize and clean up simple drawn shapes such as triangles, circles, and squares, and had an intuitive system for handwritten editing (such as scratching out words to be deleted, circling text to be selected, or using written carets to mark inserts).
Later releases of the Newton operating system retained the original recognizer for compatibility, but added a printed-text recognizer, code-named "Rosetta," which was developed by Apple, included in version 2.0 of the Newton operating system, and refined in Newton 2.1. Rosetta was generally considered a significant improvement and many users consider the Newton 2.1 handwriting recognition software better than any of the alternatives since. By the time Apple discontinued the Newton in 1998, the handwriting recognition was greatly improved, and may be the best "real handwriting" recognition (as opposed to pseudo-handwriting input mechanisms like Graffiti) to have ever been available to the public. This may be one reason why the Newton still has a hard-core following to this day.
Recognition and computation of handwritten horizontal and vertical formulas such as "1 + 2 =" was also under development but never released because the principal engineer working on it went on leave.
Even given the age of the hardware and software, Newtons still demand a sale price on the used market far greater than that of PDAs produced by other companies. As of 2004 the Newton 2000 and 2100 still sell, without accessories, for over $100, despite the hardware being at least six years old.
Newton used an advanced object-oriented programming system called NewtonScript, developed by Apple employee Walter Smith [1]. One of the major complaints programmers had was that the Toolbox programming environment was overpriced at $1000 (late in the life of the Newton the programming environment was made available for free). Additionally, it required learning a new way of programming. Despite this, many third party and shareware applications were (and continue to be) available for Newton. It has been suggested that the NewtonScript programming system should be made available open-source (as " abandonware") but most Newton enthusiasts consider this possibility to be highly unlikely.
Data in Newton was stored in object-oriented databases known as soups. One of the revolutionary aspects of Newton was that soups were available to all programs; and programs could operate cross-soup; meaning that the calendar could refer to names in the address book; a note in the notepad could be converted to an appointment, and so forth; and the soups could be programmer-extended - a new address book enhancement could be built on the data from the existing address book.
The MessagePad used Macintosh-standard serial ports (round Mini-DIN 8 connectorDIN connectors are multi-pin electrical connectors based on a DIN standard. DIN connectors Full-sized DIN connectors are 13. 2mm in diameter, and are available in patterns with three to fourteen pins. All patterns are commonly available as line versions is instead of the more common trapezoidal DB-9). The 2000/2100 models had a proprietary small flat connector used with an adapter. In addition, all models also had infraredInfrared IR radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation. The name means "below red" (from the Latin infra "below"), red being the color of visible light of longest wavelength. connectivity. Unlike the Palm, all MessagePad models were equipped with a standard PCMCIAThe PCMCIA is the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association an industry trade association that creates standards for notebook computer peripheral devices. The best known such devices are known as PC Cards (formerly PCMCIA cards . A later rev expansion slot (two on the 2000/2100). This allowed native modem and even EthernetEthernet is a packet-based computer networking technology for local area networks (LANs). It defines wiring and signaling for the physical layer, and packet formats and protocols for the media access control (MAC)/ data link layer of the OSI model. Ethern connectivity. With the 1xx series, an optional keyboard became available, which could also be used via the dongle on a 2x00. Newton could also dial a phone number through the MessagePad speaker (simply hold a telephone handset up to the speaker) and fax / email support was built in at the operating system level (although it required external cards).
The MessagePad 2000 and 2100, with a vastly improved handwriting recognition system, 160 MHz ARM processor, Newton 2.1, and a better, clearer, backlit screen, were among Apple's finest products. Although their large size kept them from being as popular as today's PalmOS devices, many users still swear by them. Their handwriting recognition is still considered by many the best in the world, with only the recent Tablet PC handwriting recognition system coming close. Newton 2.0 and 2.1 were in many ways a breakthrough in handheld operating systems, one that many feel has yet to be beaten even years after its discontinuation.
The MessagePad could be used with the screen turned horizontally ("landscape") as well as vertically ("portrait"). A change of a setting would instantly rotate the contents of the display by ninety degrees. Handwriting recognition would still work properly with the display rotated.
Apple and third parties marketed several "wallets" for the MessagePads, which would hold them securely along with the owner's credit cards, driver's license, business cards, and cash. These wallets were even larger than the MessagePads and even less able to fit in a pocket, so they were most often used as a protective case for the unit to shield it from bumps and scratches.
A small detachable serial keyboard was available separately.
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