I could create a full family tree with commentary on the devices of the past, and maybe someday I will, but not now. Briefly listed and probably leaving some out; Psion I & II, Sharp Wizard OZ-7000, Psion 3 & 5, Apple Newton and the Palm Pilot. These were the biggies, they were "handhelds" also known as "palmtops" that broke new ground, gained some level of mass acceptance and set benchmarks.
I want to review each to see how the iP OS solves each's problems and shortcomings, and show how profound it's breakthroughs really are.
Let's get right to it starting with the PSION I & II, introduced in the mid 80s. These devices broke new ground in several ways. They were small for the day, they allowed users to do things portably like never before. They were durable and meant for hard use, you can still get them on ebay more than 20 years after they were made. Using them was satisfying and fun, even with a 2 line display on the II there were games and programs that were useful. I had a II and played its poker game for hours, it was great!
PSION pioneered the use of solid state memory cards which stored data and factory software. Solid state was a huge advance for handhelds as it needed very little power and had no moving parts (durable). The cards PSION used peaked in the 256K range (that's 1/4 megabyte), and are the ancestors of today's USB thumb drives. The iP uses solid state memory today.
PSION also had a vital community of 3rd party developers, which is crucial for the survival of a handheld computer. PSION was based in the UK and the I & II never penetrated the US market. Software was shared and sold through the internet. Due to the open nature of the device 3rd parties even developed peripherals which helped sustain it and pushed the envelope of its use (the iP supports 3rd party development in ways no other handheld ever has).
PSION had momentum and goals, their next big step was the Series 3 (1991). As would happen over and over with handhelds in the future it not only solved problems of software and hardware of the past it introduced new features and technology.
The Series 3 was a huge jump in every way.
The screen was huge and featured grey scales which were shades of grey made by varying the intensity of the liquid crystals. It was very legible and in revised models had a fantastic backlight! The 3 ran on 2 AA batteries, a feature that allowed for an easy and cheap energy supply, this proved to be a highly desirable feature in handhelds for years to come. The lack of user-replaceable batteries remains a complaint of iPod and iPhone users and a problem for manufacturers (there was even a civil lawsuit against Apple for poor battery performance in early iPods).
A monster software/programming language improvement came too, I'm not a "coder" so don't expect details here. The 3 had a full spreadsheet program that would not disappoint spreadsheet power users, it also had a full blown word processor, something the iP still doesn't have. The calendar program was excellent too, as was the contact manager. A querty keyboard that allowed touch typing (albeit small) was a major advance. Flat membrane touch buttons allowed easy app switching (no touchscreen yet). PSION designed a unique folding method, giving the 3 a compact shape when closed. Durability decreased as moving parts increased, a classic engineering compromise and created a need for increased tech support from PSION HQ. The 3 had 2 slots for new solid state cards and memory cost had already began its steady decrease. The OS was robust and nearly bug free, something many companies would fail at in the future. 3rd party development continued, but the 3 had 2 major flaws, synchronization and US support.
Storing files on the web was uncommon at the time, the best solution for backing up data and storing it was synching to the desktop. Although the Psion's SSD cards were almost bullet proof there was still a need for sync. PSION never developed good sync software, especially in the US. This remains a challenge and dicey issue for the iP.
Sales of the 3 in the US were better than any former product from PSION. Being based in the UK, this was a problem. They did set up an office in the US, but from the start it lagged behind demand and was probably never properly equipped.
PSION wasn't done yet, their next product would again push boundaries, but also take some steps sideways and even backwards.
