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Today in Apple history: Newton spins off as its own company
- On May 22, 1997, Apple spun off its Newton division to create an independent company, Newton Inc., to manage its line of personal digital assistants, starting with the MessagePad 2000 PDA.
- Newton Inc. aimed to develop new technologies and market existing ones, with a focus on corporate users and taking Newton technology into a new era.
- Despite the success of the MessagePad 2000, the spinoff marked the beginning of the end for the Apple PDA, as the Newton division failed to sustain its momentum.
- The Newton MessagePad 2000 was praised for significant upgrades like a faster processor and a higher-resolution display, making it a critical and commercial success.
- In addition to the MessagePad 2000, Apple introduced the eMate 300, foreseeing designs that would influence later Apple products like the iMac and iBook.
- With Steve Jobs back at Apple but not leading, the Newton division's spinoff was seen as a positive step, but financial challenges persisted.
- Newton Inc. aimed to capitalize on the growing interest in mobile devices, but despite launching the MessagePad 2100, the division failed to thrive.
- Apple shutdown the Newton division in early 1998, under Jobs' leadership, redirecting focus toward the Macintosh operating system and discontinuing the Newton line.
- The Newton PDA, despite efforts to improve it, faced limited success with sales figures between 150,000 to 300,000 units over 4.5 years on the market.
- Jobs refocused Apple's efforts on developing blockbuster products for the mass market, ultimately leading to the creation of the iPhone in later years.
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