So it came as no big surprise when Steve Jobs eventually axed the project after returning in 1997 to whip the company back into shape. As it turns out, nearly a decade later Jobs revisited the scene of the crime to reinvent the PDA for the internet age, and wound up with a few devices that would have made the Newton proud: the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
Atari Lynx
But limited supplies and a $180 price tag nearly double that of the venerable Nintendo Game Boy helped seal its fate; within another six years Atari would shut down its video game console business completely, and today the once mighty giant is little more than a brand and back catalog being traded from video game publisher to video game publisher.
Sony LIBRIé EBR-1000EP
Sony eventually introduced a cousin of the LIBRIé, the Reader, in the US a couple of years later, but was never able to attract many buyers — requiring a PC to download and transfer books was just one of many obstacles to widespread adoption.
Archos Gmini 400
Early adopters loved its versatility, but the Gmini never went mainstream, partly because Archos lacked an iTunes-like store for buying video (finding legal movie downloads was nearly impossible in 2004). Eventually Steve changed his mind, and it turned out being the first to do portable video didn’t matter so much; while Archos continues with its Vision line of portable video players, the Gmini is all but forgotten.
Psion MC 400
A high price (it initially sold in the UK for £845) and lack of compatibility with PCs kept buyers away, with Psion struggling for another 12 years before calling it quits. EPOC, however, survived and became the basis for the Symbian OS found in Nokia phones.
As seen on TIME