Separated at Birth? Ads for iPad and Failed '90s PDA Newton Draw From the Same Well

If you think Apple (AAPL)'s latest TV commercial for the iPad seems familiar, you're right -- and you're showing your age. Thematically, it bears a strong resemblance to a 1990s ad that Apple created for its failed PDA, the Newton. Among the similarities:

• Both ads start the same way: "What is iPad?"/"What is Newton?"
• Both have gruff, bourbon-tinged voiceovers.
• Both describe the products as "magic" or "magical"

iPad: Newton: While we can't accuse Apple of plagiarism -- you can't steal from yourself -- the ads do remind us that there are no new ideas under the sun and some of the old ones still work just fine.

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