Apple sold 1MB, 2MB, or 4MB PCMCIA flash cards (which plugged into the MessagePad’s single PCMCIA slot) for a more robust solution. User space was limited too: The MessagePad provided only about 140KB of user storage in battery-backed RAM.

Users could also load up additional programs by linking the MessagePad to a Mac, although that functionality was limited at launch. By writing on the screen, users could ask the Assistant to perform many systemwide functions with natural-language commands, including printing documents, sending faxes, and making appointments.įor application software, the MessagePad shipped with several basic organizer and productivity applications built into ROM. In hindsight, one of the most prescient features of that OS was the Newton Assistant, which served as a text-based precursor to the iPhone’s Siri. This distinction makes sense when you consider that Apple licensed the Newton OS to other companies that produced their own hardware.

It’s worth taking a moment to explain the difference in terminology between Newton, which was the broad name for touchscreen mobile technology (and the associated operating system), and the MessagePad, which was Apple’s hardware implementation of the Newton technology.

Apple newton