Apple’s Newton MessagePad is one of the most intriguing Apple products in history: a product people considered a flop, but which was actually years ahead of its time.
If you’re a fan of the device, then this weekend you’ve got the chance to attend an exclusive screening of forthcoming documentary, Love Notes to Newton. It tells the story of the rise, fall, and rise again of one of Apple’s most fascinating (and misunderstood) product lines.
Check out the trailer below.
https://vimeo.com/242575887
As I’ve written before in my various “Today in Apple history” posts, the various Newton devices boasted handwriting recognition, artificial intelligence and some other smart features — although the product line got ditched soon after Jobs returned to Apple in 1996.
The Love Notes to Newton documentary looks to be well made, and features interviews with a number of the people who worked on the project. It certainly has the opportunity to be a fascinating film, telling a story from Apple history that’s different to the usual Steve Jobs-focused narrative.
Unfortunately, it’s not quite finished complete yet — so the documentary screening this weekend at the Vintage Computer Festival Southeast, in Roswell, GA, will be a work-in-progress. Nonetheless, if you can attend this is a great opportunity to have an input on how the film is shaping up. And, presumably, to hear some stories which may not make it into the final film.
And in other attractions
In addition to the Newton screening, which takes place at 3pm local time on Saturday, the Vintage Computer Festival Southeast event will also feature guest speakers, vendors, demonstrations and more. The event is being organized by the Computer Museum of America.
Entry is free, so if you’re in the area (or willing to travel), this is a great opportunity to indulge your inner tech geek. The event runs from 10am to 7pm on Saturday and 12pm to 5pm on Sunday. More details are available here.
