@morgant @falken @csilverman @splorp whoa! That is one cool device!

@likesoldmacs @morgant @falken @splorp I think I remember from "Defying Gravity" that Apple almost went with Cadillac, or something like it. Michael Tchao, who handled product marketing for Newton, was on the same flight with Sculley and talked him into the smaller form factor, which was probably a good idea, since I heard somewhere that Cadillac would've cost something like $8K.

A bit surprising to me that Apple never actually released a Mac tablet, given how many of these they prototyped.

@likesoldmacs @morgant @falken @splorp Tchao left Apple after Newton but later returned and is still there today as VP of iPad Product Marketing. Not sure how significant that is; I just think it's amusing that he's in charge of selling Apple tablets now after (rightly, I'd say) convincing them not to build one in the 90s.

@csilverman @likesoldmacs @morgant @splorp I've only just found out about the #Newton Defying Gravity book and have immediately ordered a copy!

#retro #retroComputing #appleNewton

@csilverman @likesoldmacs @morgant @falken @splorp Why was that a good thing? Newton wasn’t very successful, so it wouldn’t have made much difference, would it? 🤔

@proedie @csilverman @likesoldmacs @morgant @falken We can’t possibly know if a tablet form factor would have made a difference or not. However, the Newton platform was growing in education (the eMate was going gangbusters) and specific vertical markets when it was cancelled.

@splorp @proedie @likesoldmacs @morgant @falken I do think it's safe to say that an $8K tablet would've bombed worse than Newton ever did. They'd have sold three, one to Sculley's mother.

Newton the product wasn't a success, but Newton the idea was a *huge* success. The PalmPilot was basically Newton as it should have been: smaller, lighter, less capable but less expensive. If Apple had built a "Newton Mini" before Palm did, who knows—iPhone could've been an update to an existing product line.

@csilverman @proedie @likesoldmacs @morgant @falken I agree on all points. Although I also think that if Apple had committed to developing a tablet-sized Newton device, it could have ended up being priced closer to the MessagePad 2x00, but obviously higher due to manufacturing. Of course, I’m just spit-balling.

@splorp @proedie @likesoldmacs @morgant @falken This is an interesting read: https://lowendmac.com/2013/the-story-behind-apples-newton/

I think Apple definitely could have made an affordable tablet if they'd wanted to. Sounded like the main problem was deciding what compromises to make. There was a sentiment that an underpowered Newton was worse than an unaffordable one; even the final, small version was more tablet-ish than pocket-sized, just because of everything they wanted it to do.

@csilverman @splorp @proedie @likesoldmacs @morgant or just one more hardware rev. Newton 3000, in color, faster CPU, with built in wifi or cellular support... We can dream...

@csilverman @splorp @proedie @likesoldmacs @falken The hardest parts of really creating a new market is decisiveness. Especially in one so personal as to be carried on one's person all of the time and to store & retrieve intimate details. Then try pushing the envelope with new technologies and interfaces that aren't yet proven.

It was much easier for Palm to then create a stripped down and affordable (if significantly less powerful & resilient) PDA, once it had been fully realized.