The Newton portable computer came out of the first results of Apple’s work on a miniature mobile device with a touchscreen and operated with a stylus. The design offered a range of breakthrough solutions, one of them being the handwriting recognition system. The computer’s design used a high performance, energy efficient CPU of the ARM family, which later became standard in this type of device and is still widely used in tablets and smartphones.
The Newton’s main purpose was time management and performing simple office tasks. The content of its built-in memory could be synchronised with computers using the Windows or MacOS operating systems over a serial interface. A wireless connection was also available in the form of an infrared port. An additional extension card allowed the Newton to be connected to the telephone network in order to send and receive faxes or use basic Internet functionalities.
Eight different devices in the Newton family were launched between 1993 and 1998. Due to its high price, the device was moderately successful on the market. Its production was discontinued soon after Steve Jobs returned to Apple as CEO . The Newton did, however, inspire other manufacturers of mobile devices, which were manufactured in increasing numbers from the late 1990s. Apple returned to this category of products in 2007 with the launch of the iPhone.

Author: Marek Więcek