Apple Newton
Long before the iPhone or iPad, Apple had the Newton. It was the company’s first attempt at a personal digital assistant. Rumor has it the product took over six years to develop. One of the main features of the device was its ability to recognize handwriting. The device came with a stylus so that you could write on the screen and the Newton would type out what you wrote. Apple created a specific operating system called NewtonOS and a few developers of NewtonOS went on to create the original operating system for the iPod. After lackluster sales and even a Simpsons sketch about how bad the handwriting recognition was, Steve Jobs quickly canceled further development of the Newton in 1998.