In 1992, nobody had a Personal Digital Assistant. Even though nobody had one, lots of people were talking about them. But simply dismissing Newton as a failure is unfair. Microsoft gave up on Bob after about a year; Apple, by contrast, stuck with Newton for six years. It released seven distinct models and worked with companies such as Sharp and Motorola, which released their own Newton-based gizmos. The Newton MessagePad features a 20MHz ARM 610 processor, 4MB of ROM, 640K of SRAM, and infrared-beaming capabilities in a compact handheld case with a pressure-sensitive display. The original Newton MessagePad was one of the first handheld systems to attempt to recognize natural handwriting and use a basic form of artificial intelligence.
