Apple Newton Museum Closing Its Doors, Selling Collection

A web site dedicated to the original PDA is shutting down and selling off its collection.

Apple's Newton line of handhelds were some of the first on the market, and the company's CEO John Sculley even coined the term "PDA." But the computer maker withdrew from the handheld market in 1998.

Nevertheless, diehard fans have kept the Newton alive. Lots of third-party software releases have allowed these handhelds to perform functions that their creators never imagined.

Despite this, the Newton Museum is giving up the ghost and actioning off its entire collection.

This includes numerous Newton handhelds -- some still in the box -- tons of peripherals, and a vast collection of software.

The collection is available on eBay's web site now.

Not surprisingly, it isn't cheap. The bidding is currently over $1000 and will almost certainly go much higher as the auction draws to a close early next week.

Once and Future PDA?

Despite the fact that Apple had been out of the handheld market for nearly a decade, at least once a year a rumor circulates that Apple is going to release a new line of handhelds to replace the Newton.

The rumors have kept up with the times, though. In the wake of the first mobile phone with support for Apple's iTunes music service, Motorola's CEO said it was only a matter of time before Apple released its own smartphone.

Related Links

• Apple Smartphone ''Only a Matter of Time''

Thanks to Engadget for the tip.