27:
481:. At its peak, the system supported approximately 2.5 million users. In 1997 Steve Markman hired Linda Hayes as Chief Marketing Officer, who in turn hired a new marketing team, which launched Portico. The Portico launch is attributed with lifting General Magic's stock price from $ 1 in 1997 to $ 18 in 2000.
673:
Its other software, Telescript, was "software-agent technology that would search the Web and automatically retrieve information such as stock quotes and airline ticket prices." The script was introduced with the intent of creating a "standard for transmitting messages among any machines that compute,
531:
for the first commercially successful voice recognition consumer product. Today MyTalk was also listed in the permanent
Smithsonian Museum collection. Because of the product's momentum, the intent was to spin off Hayes’ group with Wray leading the product management. However, because of failure to
457:
to head a new telephony group. This new team of 60–70 people set out to create a voice recognition-based personal assistant service that would be as close to human interaction as possible. The first service delivered was
Portico (code named Serengeti during development), and the interface was called
304:
In 1990, Porat wrote the following note to
Sculley: "A tiny computer, a phone, a very personal object . . . It must be beautiful. It must offer the kind of personal satisfaction that a fine piece of jewelry brings. It will have a perceived value even when it's not being used... Once you use it you
544:
attributing the drop to "losses, layoffs and missed projections." Most of the management that was involved in bringing
Portico to market left by early 2000 to pursue other interests with Internet startups. A new team was brought in led by Kathleen Layton. The new team took the company in the
253:
that the next generation of computing would require a partnership of computer, communications and consumer electronics companies to cooperate. Known as the
Paradigm project, the project ran for some time within Apple, but management remained generally uninterested and the team struggled for
685:, but is able to migrate running processes between virtual machines. The developers saw a time when Telescript application engines would be ubiquitous, and interconnected Telescript engines would form a "Telescript Cloud" across which mobile applications could execute.
697:(eliminating the need for modem chips), small touchscreens and touchscreen controller ASICs, highly integrated systems-on-a-chip designs for its partners' devices, rich multimedia email, networked games, streaming television, and early versions of e-commerce.
470:. General Magic was the first company to employ a large number of linguists to make their software seem real and responses varied, with General Magic investors receiving several key patents relating to voice recognition and artificial personality.
625:. The UI is based on a "rooms" metaphor; for example, e-mail and an address book can be found in the office, and games might be found in a living room. User applications were generally written in Magic Script, a utility language variant of the
545:
direction of turning its voice services into enterprise software offerings. The company announced it would cease operations on
September 18, 2002. The company was liquidated in 2004. The OnStar assets were turned over to
370:
reported that
General Magic had backing from "American Telephone and Telegraph, Sony, Motorola, Philips Electronics and Matsushita Electric Industrial." Marc Porat remained the chief executive of the company.
1333:
621:. The basic idea behind the system was to distribute the typical computing load across many machines in the network using Magic Cap, which was a fairly minimal operating system that was essentially a
652:
Dragon microprocessor. The launch suffered from a lack of real supporting infrastructure. Unlike the Newton and other PDAs being introduced at the same time, the Magic Cap system also did not rely on
1363:
337:, Sony president Norio Ogha, and AT&T division chairman Victor Pelsen became board members. As the operations expanded, the company reportedly let rabbits roam the offices to inspire creativity.
1228:
1323:
1318:
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on NASDAQ in
February 1995. General Magic raised $ 96 million in the IPO, and a total of $ 200 million from 16 different investors. The company's stock value doubled after its IPO.
433:
launched its
PersonaLink network to host the devices, a closed network that did not connect to the emerging internet. AT&T eventually shut down the PersonaLink network in 1996.
340:
In 1992–1993, while
Sculley was still a director of General Magic, Apple entered the consumer electronics market with a poorly-received "personal digital assistant" that became the
1338:
719:
to document their development process in the 1990s, and Kerruish included some of that original footage of General Magic's offices in the film. The film includes interviews with
355:
with the intent of creating a "standard for transmitting messages among any machines that compute, regardless of who makes them." The company also announced the software
1012:
1343:
513:
in March 1998. The deal gave Microsoft access to certain intellectual property, and helped General Magic move toward integrating Portico with Microsoft products.
410:. Each of the so-called "Founding Partners" invested up to $ 6 million in the company and named a senior executive to the company's "Founding Partner's Council".
1358:
527:
In 1999 the Marketing Team developed a separate consumer product called MyTalk. Created by Kevin Wray, the MyTalk product was a success and went on to win the
351:
referred to General Magic as "Silicon Valley's most closely watched start-up company." It reported that the company was introducing software technology called
945:
1328:
374:
By 1994, the "General Magic Alliance" of cross-industry partners had expanded to 16 global telecommunications and consumer electronics companies, including
1038:
344:. By early 1993, Newton (originally designed as a tablet with no communications capabilities) started to attract market interest away from General Magic.
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458:
Mary, named after Mary McDonald-Lewis, who voiced Portico, Serengeti and GM's later version, OnStar. Portico synchronized to devices such as the
254:
resources. Eventually they approached Sculley with the idea of spinning off the group as a separate company, which occurred in May 1990. In 1990
677:
The Telescript programming language made communications a first-class primitive of the language. Telescript is compiled into a cross-platform
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The company initially operated in near-complete secrecy. By 1992, some of the world's largest electronics corporations, including
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617:(OS) which allowed users to "set their own rules for message alerts and acquiring information" on PDAs, according to
414:
359:, an operating system catering to communications. Telescript would eventually come out in 1996 at the start of the
490:, the company's original idea was "practically, dead," with people not buying General Magic devices in quantity.
267:
173:
115:
281:(vice president of marketing), hardware pioneer Dr. Wendell Sander with his son Brian Sander, Walt Broedner and
626:
459:
333:
were partners and investors in General Magic, creating significant buzz in the industry. Sculley, Motorola CEO
659:
General Magic planned to release Magic Cap software development tools with Metrowerks by the summer of 1995.
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founded it. Apple took a minority stake in the company, with John Sculley joining the General Magic board.
322:
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711:
opened at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 20, 2018. It was later shown at the SFFilm Festival in
478:
334:
330:
157:
656:, putting it at a marketing disadvantage. Partners ended production of Magic Cap devices by 1997.
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and handled voicemail, call forwarding, email, calendar etc., all through the user's own personal
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While Portico ran its voice portal business, the original handheld group was spun off in 1998 as
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The first "General Magic Alliance" hardware products, using the Magic Cap software, were two
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387:
209:
153:
1197:
946:""General Magic" captures the legendary Apple offshoot that foresaw the mobile revolution"
796:
366:
In an article titled "Here's Where Woodstock Meets Silicon Valley," on February 27, 1993,
1294:"General Magic is a nostalgic film about the '90s startup that imagined the smartphone"
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228:. After announcing it would cease operations in 2002, it was liquidated in 2004 with
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The Portico system was also scaled back and sold through many partners including
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648:. Sony and Motorola introduced Magic Cap devices in late 1994, based on the
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1122:
Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the MAC was Made
715:
on November 3, 2018. The company founders had hired filmmakers including
678:
637:
360:
318:
286:
45:
1257:
1191:"Motorola's Envoy First to Run Magic Cap." Byte.com fetched 21 July 2008
1094:"In 1993, This Company Almost Invented the iPhone — and It Wasn't Apple"
417:(PDAs) that came out in the summer of 1994, with Motorola producing the
430:
407:
391:
326:
700:
According to former General Magic employee Marco DeMiroz, it was the "
1043:
1017:
517:
549:
to run for General Motors. The patents were auctioned by the court.
509:
General Magic announced a major licensing deal and investments from
1137:"COMPANY NEWS; General Magic to Disclose Its Strategy and Sponsors"
1039:"General Magic: The Most Important Dead Company in Silicon Valley?"
1013:"General Magic: The Most Important Dead Company in Silicon Valley?"
453:
Steve Markman was hired to run General Magic in 1996, and he hired
273:
Porat, Hertzfeld and Atkinson were soon joined at General Magic by
399:
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645:
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588:
552:
Most of the patents the company had developed were purchased by
347:
In February 1993, the company had 100 employees. On February 8,
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177:
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The company achieved many technical breakthroughs, including
540:
By 1999, the company's stock had plunged significantly, with
1241:"A developer's introduction to General Magic and Magic Cap"
532:
agree on technology licensing terms, the spin-off stalled.
1066:"BUSINESS PEOPLE; Apple Technologists Forming New Venture"
502:. The new company sold the Magic Cap OS as hardware named
1334:
Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
520:
Virtual Advisor was developed at this time as well for
782:
780:
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Personal Wireless Communicator and Sony producing the
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Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
249:, when Marc Porat convinced Apple's CEO at the time
425: (equivalent to $ 1,640 in 2023) wireline Sony
126:
110:
95:
69:
54:
33:
285:who joined from Apple Japan, and most of Apple's
224:PDA. It also introduced the programming language
1032:
1030:
1028:
1324:Defunct computer companies of the United States
1252:
1250:
1210:"Before Apple's iPhone There Was General Magic"
613:General Magic's main product was Magic Cap, an
1319:Defunct computer companies based in California
1165:"Here's Where Woodstock Meets Silicon Valley"
8:
1339:Companies based in Mountain View, California
1279:"SCREENINGS & EVENTS – Doc Stories 2018"
245:The original project started in 1989 within
19:
838:
204:notions." General Magic's main product was
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826:
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820:
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18:
1115:
1113:
974:"Spreading the Word on Mobile Messaging"
792:"Bill and Andy's Excellent Adventure II"
506:and focused on vertical market systems.
1229:permanent Smithsonian Museum collection
1011:Michael Kanellos (September 18, 2011).
872:"3 Companies Said to Invest In Venture"
764:
176:, the company developed precursors to "
16:American technology company (1990–2002)
1344:Computer companies established in 1990
571:the company "developed a precursor of
591:, multimedia email, networked games,
196:, multimedia email, networked games,
7:
1359:2002 disestablishments in California
967:
965:
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939:
937:
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929:
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898:
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894:
870:Andrew Pollack (November 30, 1991).
1329:Defunct computer hardware companies
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1004:
1002:
1000:
998:
996:
305:won't be able to live without it."
14:
1354:1990 establishments in California
1135:John Markoff (January 15, 1993).
972:John Markoff (February 8, 1993).
669:Telescript (programming language)
629:with object oriented extensions.
1349:Companies disestablished in 2002
1292:Adi Robertson (April 22, 2018).
1163:Steve Lohr (February 27, 1993).
1064:Andrew Pollack (July 12, 1990).
1037:Kanellos, Michael (2011-09-18).
843:Kanellos, Michael (2002-09-18).
681:in much the same fashion as the
241:Apple project and spinoff (1989)
232:purchasing most of its patents.
25:
845:"General Magic calls its quits"
674:regardless of who makes them."
529:Computerworld Smithsonian Award
494:Spinoffs and myTalk (1998–2000)
905:David Manners (June 9, 2016).
1:
907:"Fable: The Hubristic Huddle"
99:September 17, 2002
415:personal digital assistants
41:Personal digital assistants
1380:
666:
606:
683:Java programming language
583:, touchscreen controller
268:Mountain View, California
188:, touchscreen controller
174:Mountain View, California
116:Mountain View, California
24:
1124:. Oreilly. p. xxii.
1120:Hertzfeld, Andy (2005).
460:Palm Connected Organizer
441:The company launched an
1196:8 November 2008 at the
654:handwriting recognition
560:Products and technology
309:Early years (1992–1994)
944:Mark Sullivan (2018).
627:C programming language
449:Portico service (1996)
536:Shutdown (1999–2004)
376:Cable & Wireless
331:AT&T Corporation
212:used in 1994 by the
707:A documentary film
632:It was used on the
429:. Alliance partner
158:electronics company
21:
1170:The New York Times
1142:The New York Times
1071:The New York Times
979:The New York Times
911:Electronics Weekly
877:The New York Times
567:Electronics Weekly
368:The New York Times
349:The New York Times
464:Microsoft Outlook
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1218:. July 13, 2018.
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1092:Braswell, Sean.
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615:operating system
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388:Northern Telecom
289:team, including
210:operating system
152:was an American
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1258:"General Magic"
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1234:
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1198:Wayback Machine
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790:(April 1994).
763:
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754:Motorola Envoy
751:
744:
741:
729:Joanna Hoffman
725:Andy Hertzfeld
717:Sarah Kerruish
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687:
667:Main article:
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650:Motorola 68300
607:Main article:
604:
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522:General Motors
495:
492:
450:
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419:Motorola Envoy
380:France Telecom
310:
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279:Joanna Hoffman
260:Andy Hertzfeld
247:Apple Computer
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214:Motorola Envoy
166:Andy Hertzfeld
160:co-founded by
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713:San Francisco
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704:of the 90s."
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564:According to
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58:May 1990
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20:General Magic
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1262:. Retrieved
1260:. 2018-04-20
1235:
1224:
1213:
1204:
1186:
1176:December 10,
1174:. Retrieved
1168:
1158:
1148:December 10,
1146:. Retrieved
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1130:
1121:
1101:. Retrieved
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1087:
1077:December 10,
1075:. Retrieved
1069:
1059:
1048:. Retrieved
1042:
1016:
985:December 10,
983:. Retrieved
977:
951:Fast Company
949:
916:December 10,
914:. Retrieved
883:December 10,
881:. Retrieved
875:
865:
854:. Retrieved
848:
806:. Retrieved
801:
795:
788:Levy, Steven
708:
706:
699:
692:
676:
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658:
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612:
593:streaming TV
581:touchscreens
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487:Fast Company
485:
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455:Kevin Surace
452:
440:
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373:
367:
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348:
346:
342:Apple Newton
339:
312:
303:
291:Phil Goldman
272:
251:John Sculley
244:
200:, and early
198:streaming TV
186:touchscreens
149:
148:
111:Headquarters
737:Tony Fadell
733:Megan Smith
299:Darin Adler
283:Megan Smith
172:. Based in
1313:Categories
1264:2020-01-18
1243:. MacTech.
1103:2018-02-23
1050:2015-02-10
856:2015-02-10
808:2015-02-10
760:References
749:Magic Link
721:Marc Porat
663:Telescript
599:notions."
597:e-commerce
595:and early
554:Paul Allen
468:800 number
437:IPO (1995)
427:Magic Link
404:Mitsubishi
353:Telescript
323:Matsushita
295:Bruce Leak
275:Susan Kare
256:Marc Porat
230:Paul Allen
226:Telescript
222:Magic Link
202:e-commerce
170:Marc Porat
134:Telescript
103:2002-09-17
87:Marc Porat
1299:The Verge
702:Fairchild
642:MagicLink
609:Magic Cap
603:Magic Cap
511:Microsoft
504:DataRover
357:Magic Cap
206:Magic Cap
139:Magic Cap
1281:. SFilm.
1215:Barron's
1194:Archived
743:See also
679:bytecode
640:and the
638:Motorola
579:, small
431:AT&T
361:internet
319:Motorola
287:System 7
184:, small
154:software
127:Products
70:Founders
46:Software
34:Industry
644:PDA by
636:PDA by
423:US$ 800
408:Fujitsu
392:Toshiba
327:Philips
236:History
101: (
96:Defunct
62:1990-05
60: (
55:Founded
1044:Forbes
1018:Forbes
735:, and
689:Legacy
542:Forbes
518:OnStar
479:Excite
406:, and
363:boom.
262:, and
208:, the
168:, and
797:Wired
634:Envoy
589:ASICs
500:Icras
475:Quest
400:Sanyo
194:ASICs
1178:2018
1150:2018
1079:2018
987:2018
918:2018
885:2018
850:CNET
646:Sony
619:CNET
516:The
477:and
462:and
329:and
315:Sony
297:and
218:Sony
216:and
156:and
1098:OZY
804:(4)
585:ICs
573:USB
547:EDS
443:IPO
396:Oki
384:NTT
266:in
220:'s
190:ICs
178:USB
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