The first anniversary of the Newton passed silently this month, without so much as a nod from Apple. The tiny device that promised to change the world a short year ago now seems lost amid the success of the Power Macintoshes and PowerBook 500’s.
In the hot and humid days of August 1993, MacWorld Boston was a buzz with activity. ‘Personal Digital Assistant’ flowed incessantly from the mouths of enthusiasts. Must-have buyers lined up in droves. Even skeptics clamored to see the product that would herald in the future of computing and communications. 18 months late and in very short supply, the Newton MessagePad debuted amongst pomp and pageantry befitting a new king.
Within a few weeks reality began to sink in. References to the Newton in trade publications invariably contained the word ‘disappointment’. Indeed, as many bulletin board discussion threads asserted, the Newton was not yet ready for prime time.
As advanced as the handwriting recognition was, it was still not very usable. A basic activity where accuracy was paramount – taking notes in a meeting – was impossible. The tiny on-screen keyboard became the input method of choice for many frustrated Newton owners.
Other problems crept up: there was not enough RAM to install larger software – you needed a expensive RAM card; the machine seemed to eat alkaline batteries; and there was a lack of truly useful software available. At a fundamental level, for what the Newton promised to do, it was too expensive. A full Newton package with modem and connection kit, NiCad batteries and charger, 2MB Flash RAM card and useful third party-software cost approximately $1250 US. ($1600 Cdn.) – for just $300 more, you could have purchased a PowerBook 145B.
The MessagePad 110 (introduced this spring) addressed many of these problems, sporting a lower price, extra RAM, longer battery life and delayed handwriting recognition. As many analysts have pointed out, the MessagePad 110 is the Newton which should have debuted last August.
Apple’s biggest mistake with the Newton was not that it over-hyped the product, but rather that it failed to include software that would be immediately useful (such as a personal money manager or a spreadsheet program). The software need not have been very advanced, just something to get users started . Third party companies could have subsequently offered more impressive software, in much the same way Microsoft Word offered an alternative to MacWrite (which was originally bundled with the Macintosh). As it shipped, however, there was very little the Newton could do that a Filofax and a calculator couldn’t, and thus there was little to show off the Newton’s utility.
While Apple has reportedly dropped plans for a slate-size addition to its Newton product line, one of its Newton technology licensees is said to have picked up development where Apple left off. At present, Apple is still actively working on version 2.0 of the Newton operating system, which (among other things) will feature a hierarchical file system. In addition, the slow and steady adoption of the MessagePad into many vertical markets over the past nine months is evidence that the Newton still holds a certain promise.
There is little doubt that such machines offer a glimpse into the future. The basic problem with the Newton (and personal digital assistants in general) is that it represents a collection of great ideas lumped together before the technology is cost-effective. What the Newton needs is a signi- ficant re-think: Is the Newton a miniature computer, or is something else? If it is a miniature computer, how do we make it useful and price it without creating competition for PowerBooks? Do we limit its functionality to protect our investment in the Macintosh, or do we develop the Newton as a separate PowerPC-based portable computing platform and pursue it to its fullest?
Only when Apple has recognized the technology for what it is – a seperate portable computing platform – can the Newton fulfill its promise to change the world.
 
Chris McVeigh's Newton (once cast aside indefinately) is now a constant companion – its
existence legitimized by Hardy Marcia's shareware personal money manager, Pocket Money.
