Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone, Apple History
On iPhones and Newtons
Michael Simon at Mac | Life takes a cautionary look at the iPhone from the perspective of the failed Newton. In the months before its launch, the Newton generated a lot of buzz and excitement, and boasted similar functionality. As Mr. Simon notes, the original Newton introductory video states, "The Newton MessagePad can find a phone number and dial the phone for you, fax a note, format a letter, and even set up a lunch appointment."It's an interesting comparison, but I don't think it's entirely fair. When the Newton was introduced, not may people - if any - knew what a "PDA" was. The concept was even new for Apple.
Conversely, everyone knows what a cell phone is, and nearly everyone has used one. While it's true that Apple has a lot riding on the iPhone - you could argue even more so than the Newton - its path will be very different.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike said 11:22AM on 5-21-2007
Why do people even bother to waste their time comparing the iPhone to the Newton? Everybody knows the iPhone is going to be an over whelming success. I guess some "journalists" - I use the term lightly. Just need job security so they choose to come up with these terrible news stories about how the iPhone is going to fail within the first 6 months. Just get the Apple crowd all hyped up. Very few people have actually seen what the iPhone is capable of. Enough with these stories!
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Jon said 11:36AM on 5-21-2007
Smart phones have been out forever and everyone has a phone nowadays. And yet, still, people are hyped up about the iPhone. How can it possibly fail?
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Mikey said 11:49AM on 5-21-2007
"Not may people..."?
"new what a 'PDA' was..."?
Dude, Pages checks for speeling errors, but it's not idiot proof. Check your spelling before posting to a major online blog. How embarrassing...
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Wheels said 11:54AM on 5-21-2007
Plus, the iPhone has Steve Jobs on its side. Even if the Newton had been immaculately designed by the Almighty Himself Jobs would've killed the product still because Steve Jobs didn't like the concept.
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David Firestone said 12:01PM on 5-21-2007
I think the biggest reason the iPhone will succeed and the Newton failed is that right now Apple's street cred is through the roof, and the entire country is eating out of the palm of their hand. Eh?
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Jomy Muttathil said 12:08PM on 5-21-2007
BIG difference...
The Newton was the first true PDA and 5 years ahead of it's time.
The iPhone is the first "GOOD" Smartphone and is 5 years ahead of it's time.
Apple spent millions of dollars trying to convince people they need a PDA.
Today millions of people we be lining up at Apple and Cingular stores waiting to get their hands on what they already know they want/need.
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Fred said 12:25PM on 5-21-2007
#3, I wish I had all day to nitpick easily missed spelling errors.
The Newton was indeed a whole new concept, and while it didn't suceed, it did pave the way for others. I see the iPhone as the rebirth of the Newton myself. I love my Newton, and can't wait to get my hands on an iPhone.
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Catt said 12:25PM on 5-21-2007
Yeah what's this comparison with the Newton? I like the Newton and everything but lets give the thing a rest. The iPhone has already won awards and the thing is not even out in the hands of the masses. Its like one of the most highly anticipated product since the iPod with Video actually even more so. Give it a rest I'm already worried how early I have to line up to get one and having bad dreams about them running out so people stop with the Newton comparison and nay saying already. May the Newton rest in peace RIP RIP and good riddance.
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Jon H said 5:30PM on 5-21-2007
The main difference is that the Newton, like most PDAs, was a solution to a problem most people didn't have. Most people who bought them had to work hard to come up with reasons to actually use them (carry them along, take them out of your bag, start it up, etc) instead of scribbling things on notepads like always.
The iPhone, on the other hand, has at least two eminently useful features that don't require any behavior modifications - the iPod features and the cellphone features.
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surfwax95 said 12:51PM on 5-21-2007
@ #3
You misspelled "spelling".
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Stephen Colbert said 1:26PM on 5-21-2007
Scanning #3's post for spelling errors.....
Scanning complete, 1 error detected
lol
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thejedipunk said 1:01AM on 5-22-2007
I like how the MacWeb and the rest of the media give judgement on a product that only a very limited number of people have actually had the pleasure to use. Writing articles based on limited facts and information from one CEO and his website.
Reserve all judgement, opinions, questions, and comparisons till next month!
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Gary Conrad said 1:59PM on 5-21-2007
#10 the intened joke on the word speeling is so obvious. duuuuuuuuuuuuuh. oh excuse me i mispelled duh.
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Gary Conrad said 2:00PM on 5-21-2007
and then i make a typo on intended. i should have quit.
duhhhhhhhhh (mocking himself)
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k-tronix said 2:34PM on 5-21-2007
Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to use a Newton, but heard much about it's streamlined abilities. In short, my hope is that iPhone builds on each nuance the Newton had, as shown in the Newton video.
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Analyzer said 5:35PM on 5-21-2007
The iPhone, unlike the Newton, has two things that will ensure its success. First is the iPod - the world's leading mp3 player. Going beyond that, this will be the first "true widescreen iPod video".
Secondly, OSX. Unlike the Newton, the iPhone is built on an OS that the world is familiar with. It already has a reputation of stability, unlike the the Window OS.
As Steve mentioned in his keynote in January, almost everybody has a phone. They're jumping into a market where people like to renew their gadgets every 1 ~ 1.5 years. Everybody wants an iPod and knows the reputation of OSX. I think its a match made in heaven.
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macaddicted said 8:14PM on 5-21-2007
Clearly the Newton was far better. It had user installable applications and user replaceable batteries, areas where the iPhone currently falls short.
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Reg Muffet said 9:25PM on 5-21-2007
The biggest similarity between the iPhone and the Newton is that both have been overhyped.
People were expecting too much from the Newton (eg, flawless handwriting recognition) and when it fell short it was lampooned, most notably in the Doonesbury comic strip.
I can sense that opinionated and hostile sites like Engadget are just waiting to dump on the iPhone when one of its features proves not to be absolutely flawless.
However, similarities aside, the biggest difference between the iPhone and the Newton is that the iPhone has Steve Jobs as its ultimate "taste architect" whereas the Newton had John Sculley.
An illustration should make clear what I mean:
Steve oozes pride when he talks about the iPhone, shows it off lovingly (that comment at the recent shareholder's meeting about needing to pry it from his cold dead heads to get it away from him), and has been spotted publicly using it on every occasion he himself has been spotted (that Flickr shot of his son's soccer game for instance). You get the feeling he probably sleeps with it under his pillow.
John Sculley, after the Newton was released, was spotted on a plane making notes ... in an appointment book. No Newton in sight.
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