Much as the iPhone X brought an OLED display for the first time, the MessagePad 2000 introduced a major upgrade to the Newton display. Of course, in 1997 that did not mean the arrival of ultra-sharp OLED. Instead, the Newton simply gained a higher-resolution screen (480 by 320 pixels, compared to the previous model’s 320 by 240).

In addition, the screen grew by 20 percent, measuring 4.9 inches by 3.3 inches, yielding a 100 dpi display. While not color, the MessagePad 2000 for the first time offered 16-level grayscale pixels rather than the simple black or white two-tone of predecessors.

The processor got a major upgrade as well, with a 160 MHz StrongARM 110 CPU that made it many times faster than previous Newtons while using just one-quarter the power. This meant the MessagePad 2000 could deliver more than 24 hours of continuous battery life.

On top of this, the upgraded Apple PDA packed neat features like dual-mode IrDA-beaming capabilities, which allowed Newton users to wirelessly exchange information with one another. And of course the Newton’s stylus-based handwriting recognition.