One of the things most of us hope to see today at the “Let’s Rock” iPhone event is a copy and paste feature added to the iPhone OS. The video above shows us an example of how it might be done, by taking a look at the way Apple did it with the Newton 15 years ago.

Now obviously this wouldn’t be an exact way to get the job done, but it does give you an idea of the though process that has to be in mind to make this work.

Will we see copy and paste today? I’m not holding my breath, but it would be nice.

via tuaw.

You know, sometimes you read a rumor that is just so blisteringly stupid, that you just can’t help but talk about it. That’s the case with the latest intel coming from Apple Insider.

They have “sources” (not the quotation marks) that have the inside track on what’s next for Apple – a new version of the Newton.

That’s right – Apple is going to ride the train of success all the way back down by scraping the bottom of the barrel, and reviving one of their biggest failures to compete in a market no one cares about.

It makes perfect sense…except, of course, that it’s completely ridiculous.

The return of the Newton is a rumor that just won’t die, and Apple Insider seems fit to make sure that this idiocy lives on forever. There is no end to the ways you can begin to explain why this isn’t happening and has never been happening.

First off, there is no Ultra Portable computer market. It’s not there – and if it was there – or Apple decided to create it — it would be a new Mac – not bringing back the brand name Newton. Also, based on the AI description, the device would only be roughtly twice the size of the iPhone – making it expensive, inconvenient, and basically useless.

It’s a device no one wants or needs (I know a few of you are going to scream “I want one” – but there aren’t enough of you to justify this product’s existance). Something that was twice as big as an iPhone would be just unportable enough to be a pain, and just small enough to not be a full blown computer.

The article even goes on to speculate that Apple is purposely holding the iPhone back to make this new device seem even cooler – with awesome features like Copy and Paste…that Apple apparently thinks we’ll believe is only capable on a device that’s larger than our iPhones…I just…I just can’t do this.

This is just so unbelievably ridiculous.

Here’s the main reason that you’ll never see this:

All of you with iPhones grab them and hold them in your hands. Do you know why Apple isn’t developing a Newton 2.0? Because you’re holding it in your hand right now. The iPhone IS a Newton 2.0.

Boom.

Done.

I stumbled across this gallery last night, comparing the iPhone and the Newton. I gotta say I’m a bit stunned by how big that Newton looks. Of course, I knew the Newton was substantially larger than it’s modern equivalent, but MAN – that Newton looks like something on Star Trek TOS.

wow…that explanation was longer than the clip.

It was a dark time to be an Apple fan. The year was 1993, and a Jobless Apple stumbled around from one idea to the next, lacking the direction and creative vision that had steered the company in previous years. There was a product that seemed like it could change that, though. It was a revolutionary device that had started its life as a larger format tablet-styled computer, but had been re-envisioned as a smaller companion device (so as not to cannibalize Mac sales). It was the device that coined the term “Personal Digital Assistant”…

It’s name…was Newton.

It was a device that was supposed to change the world…it put the power of computing, faxing, and organizing your life in the palm of your hand. The only problem was that when it was released, it didn’t actually work like they promised. The handwriting recognition of Newton was one of its most touted features, but it had a hard time actually recognizing your handwriting. In the “Getting Started Tips” video below, you can see that Apple was aware of this, and not only spun it as a positive, but also placed the blame directly on the user (at least, that’s the impression I get from this video that shipped with every Newton), telling you to use “common sense” when writing to help Newton understand you…

The handwriting issue is probably what kept the device from ever reaching the level of success it could have. It was an otherwise impressive digital assistant, and extremely ahead of its time. It’s clear when you look at the interface for the Newton that the layout and design of the OS influenced the look of the Palm Pilot and almost every other PDA that followed it. In fact, you can even clearly see it’s influence in the interface on the iPhone itself.

The terrible advertising campaign (which you can see a sample of below) also didn’t help sell the device, in my opinion. This wacky ad campaign seemed to steer the device in a more “fun” direction than I think it was intended. Newton was designed for business users…not kids…and for the most part, this advertising campaign belonged on Nickelodeon more than it did on 60 Minutes.

The Newton limped along from 1993 to 1998 and saw a variety of models released, ranging from the initial release, to the MessagePad series, and finally the more laptop-like eMate.

Like almost all Apple products, the Newton developed a dedicated, albeit small, following, some of which continue to use their Newton’s to this day. You can find sites dedicated to the device online with a simple Google search, and community members ready to tell you why the Newton was, and still is, great.

When it comes down to it, the device was ahead of it’s time. The question is…is that time now? The iPhone bares more than a passing resemblance to the Newton in a variety of ways. From the interface (which is obviously more visually stunning on the iPhone) to the applications, there are some very definite similarities…but…there are as many differences as their are similarities in the devices as well. The iPhone is certainly no Newton 2.0, but I think the success of the iPhone will ultimately depend on how well Apple learned from the mistakes made with the Newton.

In the coming weeks we’ll know for sure.