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Microcomputer Industry Connections - a network family tree

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Sometimes, it's a small world.

Psion started out writing software for Sinclair machines, before going on to create the Epoc operating system for its Organiser pocket computers. This then evolved into Symbian, which ended up shipping on countless millions of (mostly) Nokia phones. Acorn started a little side project working on RISC processors, which became ARM - the chip design now on billions of mobile phones. Or see how Elliot and LEO - names from the 1960s - merged into ICL, which in the mid 1980s was managed by Robb Wilmot who also had a hand in Sinclair Research, before he headed off to manage Poqet Computers - a company founded by former employees of the legendary Fairchild Semiconductor, which gave rise to Intel and AMD, amongst others.

These are a few of many sometimes-incestuous connections in the microcomputer industry, which this wiring graph attempts to visualise. Drag the graph around with a mouse or finger, and pinch or use a scroll wheel to zoom in or out.

GOTO: ACT/Tandy Retail, ADAC Laboratories, AQA/Any Question Answered, Acorn, Acorn Computer Corporation, Boston US, Acorn International Maidenhead, Acorn RISC Machines (ARM), Acorn Research Centre, Palo Alto, US, Acorn Video, Acornsoft, Active Book Company, Activenture, Advance Technology, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Almarc Data Systems, Amstrad, Amstrad, Anamartic, AndroBot, Apple, Applied Computer Techniques (ACT), Arfon Micro, Atari (1975), Atari (1975), Atari (Warner Comms), Atari/Tramel Technology Ltd, Atarisoft, Axion Inc., BSR, Bango.com, Bondwell Holdings Ltd, British Micro, Bytec/Dynalogic/Gulfstream, CL9/Cloud 9, Cambridge Computer, Camputer Holdings PLC, Camputers, Canon, Ceedata, Comart, Commodore, Comp Shop, Compaq, Compudata/Tulip, Computer Education Service, Computer World, Computhink, Corona Data Systems, Cromemco, DIP, Data Technology, Digital Research, Dragon Data, E.B.Heath Aerial Vehicle Company, EACA/Lowe Electronics, ECC Publications, Elliott Automation, English Electric LEO, Enterprise/Elan, Eurohard, Exidy, Exidy, Exxon, Fairchild Semiconductor, Fairchildren, Ferranti, Flare Technology, Franklin, Fujitsu, GEC, GW Design Services, Gemini Micro, General Information Systems (GIS), General Instrument, Goldstar, Groupe Bull, Grundy, Heath Electronics, Heath/Schlumberger, Heathkit Computers, Hegotron Group, Hegotron Printed Circuits Ltd, Hi-Toro/Amiga, Homebrew Computer Club, IBM, ICL, IMSAI, ITT, Intel, Intelligent Software, Interface, Ithaca, Jupiter Cantab, Kyocera, LEO Computers Limited, Lucas Logic, MITS, MOS Technology, Marconi Limited, Mattel, Memotech, Meridian, Metalab, Microcomputer Application Assoc., Microsoft, Microtanic, Motorola, Nascom, Nascom International, National Enterprise Board, National Semiconductor, NeXT Inc., Newbury Data, North Star, Ohio Scientific, Olivetti, Olivetti, Orbis Ltd, Osborne, Osborne/McGraw Hill, PETSoft, Packard Bell, Pearcom, Planet Computers, PlayCable, Poqet, Prism Microproducts, Processor Technology, Product Launch, Psion, QL User, Qume, RAIR, RTS Technology, Radofin, Raspberry Pi Foundation, STC, SWTPC, Sanyo, Science of Cambridge/Sinclair Research, Shelton Instruments, Sinclair Browne Publishing, Sinclair Radionics, Sinclair Research Limited (SRL, 1986), Sinclair Vehicles, Sirius, Sord, SpectraVision/SpectraVideo, Symbian, TCL, TRW, Tandon, Tandy, Texas Instruments, TomTom, Torch, Torus Systems, Toshiba, Touchmaster, Tradecom International, Transam, Triumph Adler, Vector Graphic, Victor, Visions Software, Volkswagen, Wren Computers, XCalibur, Xerox/Xerox PARC, Yamaha, Zenith Data Systems, Zilog

Legend

Hub Companies
Highly-connected "hubs" - these are Commodore, Sinclair and Acorn
Other companies
Microcomputer and associated companies
Products
Significant or influential products
Processors
Significant or influential processors
Founding events
Product connections
Take-overs/aquisitions
dotted lines
Other connections
ⓘ
Hover your mouse over these for more information

Controversy

Some may wonder why Apple isn't considered as a hub, given its hagiographic status in the early microcomputer industry. Well, although it liked to claim that it was the top-selling and most-influential manufacturer, it wasn't, and whilst it did posess the computer that many companies wanted to clone, thanks to the large amount of business software available for it - the Apple II - it otherwise appeared as quite insular. Few people seemed to leave it to start other companies, apart from its founders (and one of those was forced out) and in the period from 1977 to the end of the 1980s it didn't seem to buy up any other companies - or if it did, there were no press releases about it. Also, over the same period it only produced four products of note (although two of them were reasonably influential) - Apple II, Apple III, Lisa and Macintosh.

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