Editing Newton OS (section)

==Handwriting recognition==
The Newton uses the CalliGrapher word-based [[handwriting recognition]] engine developed by [[:ru:Параграф (компания)|ParaGraph International Inc]], led by former [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] scientist [[Stepan Pachikov]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/01/stepan_pachikov.html |title=Stepan Pachikov Wants to Study Your Handwriting |access-date=February 6, 2009 |last=Calore |first=Michael |date=January 23, 2007 |publisher=WIRED |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222123409/http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/01/stepan_pachikov.html |archive-date=December 22, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url =https://www.msu.edu/~luckie/hallofame.htm|title=Newton Hall of Fame|access-date=February 6, 2009| last=Luckie|first=Douglas}}</ref>

The earliest versions had weaknesses that resulted in bad publicity and reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://technabob.com/blog/2007/07/20/classic-apple-moment-newton-handwriting-recognition/|title=Classic Apple Moment: Newton Handwriting Recognition}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/5452193/the-story-behind-apples-newton|title=The Story Behind Apple's Newton}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2023689_2025276_2025278,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028091348/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2023689_2025276_2025278,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 28, 2010|title=Five Gadgets Ahead of Their Time Apple Newton | date=October 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/tag/doonesbury/|title=Will the iPhone's Siri have its 'Egg freckles' moment?|work=CNN|access-date=October 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407231539/http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/tag/doonesbury/|archive-date=April 7, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, with the release of [[Apple Newton|Newton PDAs]] based upon version 2.0 of the OS, the handwriting recognition substantially improved, partially being a product of ParaGraph and an Apple-created recognizer pair: Apple's Rosetta and Mondello. Newton's handwriting recognition, particularly the print recognizer, has been considered by many reviewers, testers, and users to be the best in the industry, even 10 years after it was introduced.<ref>HWR accuracy:
*See comments in Wired's [https://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,54580,00.html Apple Newton Just Won't Drop] (four years later)
*See text under "Handwriting Recognition" in [http://www.pencomputing.com/developer/newton_20.html Pen Computing's First Look at Newton OS 2.0]
*See "Opportunity Squandered" in Pen Computing's [http://www.pencomputing.com/frames/newton_obituary.html Why did Apple kill the Newton?]
*See comments under "Software" in [http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.13/13.04/NewtonGetSerious/index.html MacTech's MessagePad 2000 review]
*[http://www.pencomputing.com/editor/editor_34.html Comments by Pen Computing's editor]
*See user testing results discussed in part 6 of this [ftp://ftp.apple.com/research/neural/larryy/ANHR/AIMag/Yaegeretal.AIMag.pdf A.I. Magazine article on Newton HWR]{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
*[http://www.smalldog.com/newsarchive/kibbles_display.php?id=29 MessagePad 2000 review at Small Dog Electronics]
*See comments under "Note-taking" in [http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~mac/mp2000.html MessagePad 2000 review at "The History and Macintosh Society"]
*[http://perlnet.umephy.maine.edu/bio/wittmann/pooter/newtuse/hwr.html What's Right With The Newton: HWR] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20060908164609/http://perlnet.umephy.maine.edu/bio/wittmann/pooter/newtuse/hwr.html |date=September 8, 2006 }}
*[http://www.beanblossom.in.us/larryy/ANHR.html Assessment by Apple developer] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717074702/http://www.beanblossom.in.us/larryy/ANHR.html |date=July 17, 2012 }}
*[http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/TESL-EJ/ej07/mr1.html Prof. Warden's MessagePad 130 review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231035454/http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/tesl-ej/ej07/mr1.html |date=December 31, 2006 }}</ref> It was developed by [[Apple's Advanced Technology Group]], and was described in 2012 as "the world's first genuinely usable handwriting recognition system".<ref name="arstechnica yaeger">{{cite news | url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2005/06/504.ars | title=In the Loop with Larry Yaeger: part I | work=[[Ars Technica]] | date=June 2005 | access-date=February 27, 2012 | author=Smykil, Jeff | quote=Also at Apple, in the Advanced Technology Group, [Larry Yaeger] was Technical Lead in the development of the neural network-based handprint recognition system, the world's first genuinely usable handwriting recognition system, showcased in second generation Newton PDAs and Mac OS X's "Inkwell."}}</ref>

The Newton can recognize hand-printed text, [[cursive]], or a mix of the two, and can also accept free-hand "Sketches", "Shapes", and "ink text". Text can also be entered by tapping with the stylus on a small on-screen pop-up [[QWERTY]] keyboard. With "Shapes", Newton can recognize that the user was attempting to draw a circle, a line, a [[polygon]], etc., and it cleans them up into "perfect" [[Vector graphics|vector]] representations (with modifiable control points and defined [[vertex (geometry)|vertices]]) of what the user is attempting to draw. "Shapes" and "Sketches" can be [[Image scaling|scaled]] or deformed once drawn. "Ink text" captures the user's free-hand writing but allows it to be treated somewhat like [[Handwriting recognition|recognized text]] when manipulating for later editing purposes ("ink text" supported [[word wrap]], could be formatted to be bold, italic, etc.).<ref>[http://www.pencomputing.com/developer/newton_20.html Pen Computing's First Look at Newton OS 2.0]</ref> At any time a user can also direct the Newton to recognize selected "ink text" and turn it into [[Handwriting recognition|recognized text]] (deferred recognition). A Newton Note document (or the notes attached to each contact in Names and each calendar event) can contain any mix of interleaved text, ink text, Shapes, and Sketches.<ref>Read about HWR, ink text, Sketches, & Shapes in Apple's [http://manuals.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Manuals/newton/0307258ANEWTONMP.PDF MessagePad Handbook] available in Apple's [http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=50092 Newton Manuals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406215949/http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=50092 |date=April 6, 2008 }} collection</ref>