May 22, 1997: Apple provides the Newton division with absolute independence and allocates it to a separate subsidiary of Newton Inc., which will develop new models of this line, optimizing them for corporate users.
Newton Inc. receives permission to develop new technologies and market existing ones, which opens up unlimited opportunities for the company.
By 1995, the problems that had occurred with the release of the first models were eliminated after the release of an improved version of NewtonOS 2.0. In March 1997, the MessagePad 2000 appeared, destined to become the best in the Newton line. Major upgrades, including a faster processor and a larger display, contributed to the commercial success. No less interesting was the eMate 300, which was a clamshell and had a built-in keyboard for $800.
Beginning of the end of Newton Inc.
Newton Inc received not only 130 experienced employees from Apple, but also its own office in Santa Clara with a board of directors. A company logo was also developed and it was planned to attract additional investments through an IPO.
At the end of 1997, Newton Inc. released a new model Newton MessagePad 2100. However, the return of Steve Jobs and the departure of Amelio were devastating factors for this line. Jobs hated Newton because it was John Scully’s favorite project, so he shut it down, citing the need to focus on the Macintosh.
Interestingly, he later revisited the idea of creating a compact mobile device based on applications and achieved much more success with it. But the device was already called iPhone.
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