In most people's minds, desktop publishing established a high point for computing in the 90's. It provided a dramatically new day-to-day use for technology.  As we move into the 90's, it's likely that we'll see another application with a similar impact on the way people communicate: Mail.

Of course, electronic mail already exists today, but on the NeXT System, it functions at a level that can reshape the relationship between person and computer.  It draws upon all of NeXT's technological breakthroughs to produce a unique and powerful tool.


NeXT Mail is an integral part of the machine, so no additional investment is required. The software is included on the optical disk packaged with the system and the protocols for Ethernet and TCP/IP are built in.

With its innate talent for multitasking, the NeXT Computer can monitor your messages, even if you aren't currently working in your Mail window. The Mail icon in the dock lets you know if there are any messages waiting. The multitasking environment also allows you to access mail at any moment, without having to end your work session in another program. That may sound like a simple pleasure, but it's one that becomes increasingly important as you use Mail more. And for many, Mail is the most frequently used application.


NeXT Mail is so intuitive, most people will be able to use it without even touching a manual.  But as simple as it is to operate, it offers sophisticated functions not found together in any other computer.

Ours is a multimedia mail system. It allows you to send and receive documents of any kind, whether they contain text, graphics, sound, voice or any combination thereof.

To send a document, for example, you would simply select the document from your list of files, attach a memo (if desired) and choose a recipient from your address list.

NeXT Mail allows you to easily incorporate voice messages into your communication. It works like a simple tape recorder, allowing you to start and stop recording, even edit your finished product. When you are satisfied with your recording, you simply place it inside your Mail message. You can attach any number of annotations. When the message is complete, sending it is only a matter of click the Deliver button.


While in certain circles it is better to give than receive, NeXT Mail offers tangible benefits to those at both ends of the transaction.  The screen at your right demonstrates many of its advantages by showing how you would view incoming messages on the NeXT Computer.

In its top area, the mail window presents you with a list of unopened communications, if any.  Each is identified by the date, sender and subject of the message.  When you click the message of your choice, it appears in the lower section of the window.

As you can see, a message can contain many different elements. The text itself can be enriched with different type styles, which is a tremendous improvement over the single monotonous style offered in most other forms of electronic communication. Graphic images can be included as part of the message for further enhancement. And voice memos add another important dimension.


NeXT Mail doesn't confine you to a single mailbox. Rather, it allows the creation of multiple mailboxes, to better organize your personal communications.

It's all part of the simplicity that NeXT Mail brings to an application available today, but greatly underused.  Yet its simplicity does not diminish its power.  In fact, a NeXT Computer not only makes a perfect mail station on a network, it can become a dedicated server - efficiently serving an entire group of people.  As a server, it can become a central storage point for the mail system, as well as a storage area for commonly used work files.

Because of its design, the NeXT System fits comfortably into a multi-vendor environment.  You can communicate from one NeXT Computer to another, or from a NeXT Computer to many other systems.  Of course, a NeXT Computer communicating with its own kind allows you to use Mail with all of its richness of features, including voice mail.

Mail is a perfect example of the leaps made possible by the power of the NeXT Computer System.  By adding news layers of functionality, it transforms E-Mail into a completely new kind of tool - an intuitive means of multimedia communication.