In 1990, Apple created a new technology company to invent the future.

General Magic, as it was called, was a real dream factory.

Over the course of its 12-year existence, its founders, former Apple engineers who had helped make the original Macintosh computer a reality, developed technologies and applications that would not be in common use for several years to come. Chief among them was a precursor to the smartphone, but more than that, the General Magic team foresaw the era of mobile computing in its entirety, with social media, e-commerce, and emojis.

Unfortunately, no one bought their products, and General Magic was forced to close shop in 2002, a couple of years before someone made friends on “TheFacebook” and five years before Steve Jobs introduced the…