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Pen Computing

Apple Newton MessagePad

Overview

Pen computing — the idea that users would interact with computers using a stylus on a touchscreen rather than a keyboard — was one of the tech industry's most ambitious bets in the early 1990s. Companies like GO Corporation, EO, Apple (Newton), and others invested heavily in the vision of handheld, pen-driven computing devices.

Ted's Involvement

After leaving Apple, Ted Barnett joined EO, a company building pen-based computing devices. EO was a joint venture involving AT&T and GO Corporation, developing one of the first pen computers (the EO Personal Communicator).

The pen computing wave ultimately failed commercially — the hardware was too expensive, handwriting recognition was unreliable, and the market wasn't ready. But the core vision (portable touchscreen computing) was vindicated two decades later by the iPhone (2007) and iPad (2010).

Significance

Pen computing is the first instance of a pattern that recurs throughout Barnett's career: arriving early to a correct vision. He was building pen computers before tablets existed, online calendars before Google Calendar, AI biographers before ChatGPT.

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