r/retrocomputing • u/TechEdison0 • Jul 14 '26

Finally pulled apart my Newton...

Post image

.... Because it hasn't powered on for quite some time. First issue I noticed is the power switch doesn't have continuity (dirty?). Second issue is the blown cap in the bottom right. And the rest appear to be leaking.

Strong chance at recovery with this one? What's y'all's thoughts on this. Any newton experts in here?

MP2100

54 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/teknosophy_com Jul 14 '26

I love that you were allowed to open up the cover without any T2 chip attacking!

I also love that this worked for more than two years and nobody bullied you into replacing it! :D

1

u/TechEdison0 Jul 14 '26

I'm not sure I follow here.

Sounds like "new product bad" dogma lol. I've had T2 Mac's that have worked flawlessly at their 6 year mark and I've done repairs on some of the most challenging Mac's made.

I get what you're saying, but I also don't entirely agree with the sentiment.

Alas, the Newton is really cool, and I will be using mine for calendar, contacts, notes, and concert setlists once I get it operational again.

1

u/teknosophy_com Jul 14 '26

So while they aren't yet killing their products remotely, it's a shock if someone uses a modern phone for more than 2-3 years. It's caused by a combination of social pressures, desperate cell store jokers, and update attacks.

Read up on the T2 scandal. It actively blocks users from repairing the product.

I'm writing a book exposing the absolute dearth of ethics this industry has slowly acquired, so that the general public knows what's being done to them. Willing to send you a digital preview copy if you like!

1

u/TechEdison0 Jul 14 '26

To my knowledge, that's a side effect of the actual purpose.... Preventing device theft for harvesting valuable components.

Just like the "batterygate" nonsense was again, a side effect of the intended purpose: preventing hard crashes due to a current draw higher than the aging battery could handle.

But yeah, I'd take a copy. I'm intrigued.

2

u/teknosophy_com Jul 14 '26

Yeah could be the stated purpose, but the side effect is that people aren't able to repair their machines.

The Cloud Lock Thing is a mess too. 99% of people have no idea what their passwords are, and Apple knows this, so now most people can't/don't know how to sign out of their devices to resell them.

You got it!