Defying Gravity: The Making of Newton [Hardcover]

Markos Kounalakis (Author), Doug Menuez (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1993

A unique documentation of a real-life Silicon Valley suspense story--the creation of Newton, Apple's futuristic palmtop "personal digital assistant." As there are no business books on the market with this unique pairing of fine art-quality photography and novelistic prose, this book cuts across audience borders, attracting high-tech professionals, computer enthusiasts, and business people.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Beyond Words Pub Co (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941831949
• ISBN-13: 978-0941831949
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,258,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An engaging glimpse into the glory and mayhem of Apple, March 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Defying Gravity: The Making of Newton (Hardcover)

Follow the Newton from conception to birth. It's a facinating look at how creativity and business clash and merge to form a unique product for profit. Our post-Newton perspective only serves to make the story more poignant.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What it really takes to try and make a dent in the universe., December 23, 2000

By 

Cody "codyc14" (Alliance, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Defying Gravity: The Making of Newton (Hardcover)

I can still remember when I first opened a Newton MessagePad 130 with backlighting for my 13th birthday. I had heard before I received the 130 that the Newton was notorious for its bad handwriting recognition and its frequent crashes but I decided to give it a shot. After I got aquainted with my MessagePad 130, I began to wonder what all the fuss was about. It worked almost flawlessly. I decided to purchase this book to learn about the development of the product that I adored and loved. I was very impressed with the pictures and was equally impressed with the writing to go along with them. If you want to learn about what it takes to become a computer programmer/engineer, this book is for you. It lets you know about the struggles and the rewards of being part of a team and developing a finished product with a corperate deadline. However, the reason I only gave it four stars is that somebody who had no idea about the Newton wouldn't really know how everything turns out. The book leaves you hanging by letting you know that the Newton DID begin to ship, but thats all. Thats not the authors fault though. As many Newton fans know, Steve Jobs discontinued the Newton because of its lack of sales and basically said it was a drain on the company resources, but thats another story. This book was put together almost flawlessly and deserves more recognition than it has.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent look into Computer industry., March 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Defying Gravity: The Making of Newton (Hardcover)

This book is an excellent look into how the computer industry operates, from the CEO's time, to product delays, and product design and introduction issues. I only wish the book was 5000 pages. A *MUST* read for a Newton user. A *MUST* read for any Apple Fan.