Newton Message Pad (OMP)

Introduced: August 1993
Terminated: March 1994

Description

The Newton Message Pad was a completely new type of device for Apple.  During the Newton Message Pad’s life, the term PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) would come into use. 

The original Newton Message Pad was 7.25” tall and 4.5” wide with a depth of .75”.  The ARM 610 RISC processor ran at 20Mhz.  There was 4MB of ROM and 640K of RAM.  The reflective, pressure-sensitive LCD display was 336 x 240 pixels.  It had a LocalTalk port and infrared connectivity.  It used AAA batteries.

The Newton Message Pad came standard with the Newton operating system and a variety of software applications that were oriented towards personal organization.  Applications included Notes, Names, Dates and a number of tools like a calculator, conversion calculators, time-zone maps and others. 

The Newton Message Pad had handwriting recognition system was designed to learn the user’s handwriting and interpret it into typed text.

History

Entering into a new market, Apple’s Newton Message Pad was one of the first devices of its kind.  It boasted a powerful processor and a wide range of useful applications.  However, there were a number of problems.  The much-touted handwriting recognition software, developed by a third party developer, did not work as well as Apple had suggested prior to its release.  Additionally, the size was not actually small enough to be considered pocket friends.  The fact that it ran on AAA batteries was convenient, but did not provide for a very long battery life. 

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Specifications

Processor: ARM 610 RISC
Processor Speed: 20 MHz
Memory: 4 MB ROM, 640k RAM
Display: 336 x 240
System Software: Newton OS 1.0 - 1.1
Weight and Dimensions (US): 0.9 lbs., 7.25” H x 4.5” W x 0.75” D
Weight and Dimensions (Metric): 400g, 184.75mm x 114.3mm x 19.05mm
Ports: LocalTalk RS422 with RS232 emulation, SHARP ASK Infrared
Memory Card: 1 PCMCIA-Slot II
Power: 4 AAA or NiCd re-chargeable battery pack or external power supplyProcessor: ARM 610 RISC
Processor Speed: 20 MHz
Memory: 4 MB ROM, 640k RAM
Display: 336 x 240
System Software: Newton OS 1.0 - 1.1
Weight and Dimensions (US): 0.9 lbs., 7.25” H x 4.5” W x 0.75” D
Weight and Dimensions (Metric): 400g, 184.75mm x 114.3mm x 19.05mm
Ports: LocalTalk RS422 with RS232 emulation, SHARP ASK Infrared
Memory Card: 1 PCMCIA-Slot II
Power: 4 AAA or NiCd re-chargeable battery pack or external power supply
Operating Temperature: 0 to 40 deg. C (32 to 104 deg. F)
Storage Temperature: -20 to 60 deg. C
Transport Temperature: -20 to 70 deg. C (-40 to 149 deg. F)
Relative Humidity: 5 - 95%, non-condensing
Altitude (US): 10,000 feet
Altitude (Metric): 3,000 m

Timeline

The original Newton Message Pad was introduced in August of 1993 and was replaced by a later model addressing some of the initial problems in March of 1994.

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