Newton
From Applepedia
The Apple Newton was Apple's portable electronic notepad, first introduced in 1993. The device featured a touchscreen interface and software which allowed users to enter information simply by writing with the stylus. The line of Newton products was aimed at the professional businessman who needed the organizing power of a computer with the portability of a pad of paper.
While regarded as a "neat tool", the Newton had no place in Steve Jobs' New Apple, which came to life in 1998 with the introduction of the iMac. Newton Messagepads are swapped on eBay and collected by Apple fans to this day. Some say that it was too far ahead of its time, some say it was too expensive to sell to even wealthy executives. The Apple Newton was a product without an audience.
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Apple Newton Messagepad 100
CPU - 20mhz ARM 610
Memory(builtin/max) - 640 kB
ROM - 4MB
Display - 336x240 reflective LCD
Notes - Serial port, PCMCIA slot
The original Messagepad 100 sold for $699 and came with basic software for taking notes, organizing contacts and managing dates. The handwriting recognition included in the first Messagepad was less than perfect, and many found it an impractical compared to the pen and paper that it was intended to replace.
Messagepad 110
Apple released the Messagepad 110 in 1994. It featured the same features as the 100, but with a redesigned case, 1MB of ram and numerous OS fixes, including updated handwriting recognition software.
The Messagepad 120 and 130 followed, with both getting bumps to the OS memory and CPU.
Apple eMate 300
CPU - 25mhz ARM 710a
Memory(builtin/max) - 3MB (1/2)
ROM - 8MB
Display - 4 bit greyscale 480x320 reflective LCD
Notes - PCMCIA slot, Newton InterConnect port
Basically a Newton Messagepad 130 turned on its side with an attached keyboard. Designed as a way for Apple to nudge their way back into the education market, the eMate was sold exclusively to schools at the price of $799. The unit was a tremendous flop, and was sold between the years of 1997 and 1998. The 130 shipped with Newton OS 2.0, which addressed many problems uncovered in previous releases.
Apple Newton Messagepad 2000
CPU - 162mhz strongARM 110
Memory - 5MB
ROM - 8MB
Display - 16 bit greyscale 480x320 reflective LCD
Notes - Newton InterConnect port, 2 PCMCIA slots
The MessagePad 2000 represented a giant leap forward for the Newton platform. With a much faster processor, more ram, 16-bit greyscale, and more room for expansion, it was as much hardware as Apple could fit into the Newton case. While critics and fans heralded the MP2000, the price of $799 was beyond the reach of many potential customers.
The last bump in the Newton line was the MessagePad 2100. It is identical to the 2000 except for a bump in memory up to 8MB. The eMate 300, MessagePad 2000 and MessagePad 2100 were all introduced in 1997 and were discontinued in 1998.
