
The Fallen Apple
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infrared transceiver that “beamed” data to other Newtons at 9,600 baud
over a distance of one meter. All this could be powered by four 6-volt AAA
alkaline batteries for up to 14 hours.
Apple tried stressing the MessagePad’s communications and
organizational features. With optional cards, the MessagePad could receive
pages and exchange faxes as well as email, plus it came with the ability
to organize names, dates, phone numbers, and so on in a leless “data
soup.” But the one feature that overshadowed all others was handwriting
recognition. Apple said that you could write “Lunch with Bob tomorrow” on