General Magic trailer gives peek into one of Silicon Valley’s most influential startups

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The smartphone that never was.
Photo: Spellbound Productions

The documentary about the most important tech company you’ve never heard of is nearly ready to hit the big screen.

General Magic, a ‘90s startup created by some of the best minds at Apple, is getting the documentary treatment it deserves and the trailer is finally here.

Check it out:


History of General Magic

Created by former Mac engineers, General Magic’s staff was comprised of tech legends like Andy Hertzfeld, Joanna Hoffman, Bill Atkinson, “father of the iPod” Tony Fadell and Android’s Andy Rubin. The Apple spinoff attempted to build a handheld touchscreen device was a precursor to today’s smartphone.

For a short time, the company soared as one of tech’s hottest startups. A huge 1995 IPO raked in cash. But then the company went belly-up in the tech crash at the tail end of the 1990s.

“That period is one of the most important in computing history,” Sarah Kerruish, co-director of new documentary General Magic, told Cult of Mac. “It’s when handhelds were first realized, and when we saw the first early stages of the internet. General Magic combines these profoundly important threads in technology.”

The documentary is premiered earlier this at the Tribeca Film Festival. It’s Silicon Valley debut is set for July 26 in San Jose. A worldwide release hasn’t been set yet, but this is one documentary tech nerds won’t want to miss.

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