Power Computing Corporation

Power Computing Corporation was an American computer manufacturer and the first company to produce Macintosh clones, licensed by Apple Computer Inc. The company was founded in November 1993 by Stephen Kahng, a computer engineer best known for designing the Leading Edge Model D.

History

Power Computing Corporation was established in November 1993 in Austin, Texas. The company was founded by Stephen Kahng, who had previously designed the Leading Edge Model D, a popular IBM PC clone. Power Computing Corporation was the first company to receive a license from Apple Computer Inc. to produce Macintosh-compatible computers.

The company's first Macintosh clone, the Power 100, was introduced in 1994. It was based on the PowerPC 601 processor and was significantly cheaper than Apple's own Macintosh computers. The Power 100 was followed by several other models, including the Power 120, Power 180, and Power 210.

In 1997, Apple decided to discontinue licensing its operating system to third-party manufacturers, which led to the demise of Power Computing Corporation. The company's assets were sold to Apple in a deal worth $100 million.

Products

Power Computing Corporation's products were known for their high performance and low cost. The company's first product, the Power 100, was based on the PowerPC 601 processor and came with 8 MB of RAM and a 500 MB hard drive. It was priced at $1,699, significantly cheaper than Apple's own Macintosh computers.

The company's subsequent products included the Power 120, Power 180, and Power 210. These computers were based on the PowerPC 604 and PowerPC 604e processors and offered even better performance than the Power 100.

Legacy

Despite its short lifespan, Power Computing Corporation had a significant impact on the computer industry. The company's success proved that there was a market for Macintosh-compatible computers, and it forced Apple to reconsider its pricing strategy. The company's demise also marked the end of Apple's experiment with licensing its operating system to third-party manufacturers.