Apple's Newton OS Presaged Many iDevice Capabilities, Isn't Technically Comparable

Most of us iDevice users have some idea of the multifaceted and storied history of our favorite computer company, but many of us are too young to have appreciated the ill-fated Apple Newton PDA. One blog, My Apple Newton, is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the device, stating in its primer that the titular piece of kit "was so advanced for its time that in 2010, most modern smartphones/pdas have yet to surpass it for usability and battery life." While that outlook is massively (and easily) debatable, the site is an engaging and relevant stop in the ongoing study of our technical past. Yesterday's post, "iOS device catch-up checklist," is a bit disingenuous in seeking to compare the Newton to Apple's current mobiles on a one-to-one basis ("apples-to-apples," as it were), but it's an interesting read nonetheless. The premise, simply, is that many of the recently-debuted iOS features should have made it to market far faster in the general iDevice timeline. The following list's iOS functions, all part of the Newton NOS 1.0 launch in 1993, are followed by the date of and time from launch of feature implementation:

• 1. System-wide cut, copy and paste: DONE JUNE 2009, 2 years 5 months
• 2. System-wide search: DONE JUNE 2009, 2 years 5 months
• 3. Voice notes: DONE JUNE 2009, 2 years 5 months
• 4. Unified inbox and outbox: DONE APRIL 2010, 3 years 3 months
• 5. Birthday calendar: DONE JUNE 2010, 3 years 5 months
• 6. Multitasking: DONE JUNE 2010, 3 years 5 months
• 7. Choose font and font size in Notes: DONE JUNE 2010, 3 years 5 months
• 8. System-wide spellcheck: DONE JUNE 2010, 3 years 5 months
• 9. System-wide Folders for organizing Apps, Contacts, Notes, Documents, To-Do's and Appointments and other information: Partially implemented for Apps only (June 2010), 3 years 5 months
• 10. Customize Extras (or in iOS parlance, the Home Screen): DONE (June 2010), 3 years 5 months
• 11. System-wide handwriting recognition: [N/A]
• 12. Modeless text input: [N/A]
• 13. Apple Calendar application with tasks support: [N/A]

Of course, as stated, this kind of comparison isn't exactly valid in discussing the rationale behind Apple's seemingly slow pace of feature adoption. For example, copy-and-paste is a much different beast when used in a stylus-free touchscreen workflow (as is handwriting recognition), and Apple has easily the best capacitive solution I've seen on a mobile device to date. Additionally, on a device as complex and data hungry as a modern smartphone or tablet, system-wide search is bound to be more difficult to implement now than 18 years ago. The same holds true for points four and six above. As for voice notes and system-wide spellcheck, I agree these were needlessly late to the party. However, what a "birthday calendar" even is, I'm quite unsure, though I'd bet it's about as superfluous as one's need to customize fonts and font-sizes in Notes. I also don't know what's meant by number 10's ”home screen” citation (wallpapers?), nor am I privy to 12’s "modeless" text input designation. The last note -- an Apple calendar app with task support -- seems to be on the horizon with the introduction of iOS 5. The only point in all this that is truly significant to my personal interests (and professional workflow optimization) is listed at number nine: system-wide folders. The ability to direct any app or online upload service to any compatible file or folder is the real missing link in my iOS experience, and I sincerely hope Apple rectifies this soon. I understand and mostly agree with Cupertino's KISS approach to uncluttered elegance, and -- though I love to "keep it simple, stupid" -- such a functional inclusion would garner my hearty embrace. To be sure, My Newton Blog isn't saying the Newton outclasses the iPhone or iPad in any real, modern way -- just that many of the mobile ideals in play then seem finally updated and viable now. As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Of course, the more things change, the more they change, too.

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