General Magic
An early handheld computing startup where Tony worked before Apple.
What was said about General Magic
General Magic built an iPhone-like device 15 years too early. The early handheld computing startup, where Tony Fadell worked before Apple, made a device that resembled the iPhone. It was cool but not needed at the time.
Tony describes it as being about 15 years ahead of its moment. A product can be impressive and still fail if the market does not need it yet.
Calibrating resistive touchscreens at General Magic taught Tony the limits of touch keyboards. Tony worked on calibrating single-touch resistive screens there. That hands-on work showed him what touch keyboards could and could not do.
Tony Fadell: How to build real taste (and why AI makes it matter more)
It built an iPhone-like device 15 years too early, cool but not needed. Tony learned the limits of touch keyboards there by calibrating single-touch resistive screens.
General Magic built an iPhone-like device 15 years too early. The early handheld computing startup, where Tony Fadell worked before Apple, made a device that resembled the iPhone. It was cool but not needed at the time.
Tony describes it as being about 15 years ahead of its moment. A product can be impressive and still fail if the market does not need it yet.
Calibrating resistive touchscreens at General Magic taught Tony the limits of touch keyboards. Tony worked on calibrating single-touch resistive screens there. That hands-on work showed him what touch keyboards could and could not do.
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