The Newton was the first (and so far the only) Apple PDA, and paved the way for the success of the Palm and Pocket PC devices we now find everywhere.
One of its interesting features is that it won't die off, because even though the first wave was horrible and clunky, the second and third waves (the MP2000) are still unbeatable.
However, the damage was done, and Apple eventually discontinued them.
Resources:
- Newton Connection - to hook up Newtons to Mac OS X
- Newton Emulator - now this would be a killer application for the Nokia/770...
- Newton Reference
- The Apple Museum