Apple's iPhone

Before Personal Digital Assistants were commonplace, Apple took a shot at an electronic organizer that could recognize natural handwriting. It was too bulky and pricey to generate broad interest, though (It was famously lampooned by Doonesbury). Apple paved the way for Palm, however, which profited handsomely when PDAs hit the mainstream. With the iPhone, Apple hopes to have the last laugh.

By Jeremy Caplan and Brendan Lowe