 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 11, 1993 |
| Founder | Stephen “Steve” Kahng |
| Defunct | January 31, 1998 |
| Fate | Acquired by and absorbed into Apple Inc. |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas, |
Power Computing Corporation (often referred to as Power Computing) was the first company selected by Apple Inc to create Macintosh-compatible computers ("Mac clones"). Stephen “Steve” Kahng, a computer engineer best known for his design of the Leading Edge Model D, founded the company in November 1993. Power Computing started out with financial backing from Olivetti and Kahng.
The first Mac-compatible (clone) PC shipped in May 1995. Like Dell Computer, Power Computing followed a direct, build-to-order sales model. In one year, Power Computing shipped 100,000 units with revenues of $250 million in the first year. Power Computing was the first company to sell $1,000,000 of products on the Internet.
Power Computing released upgraded models until 1997 with revenues reaching $400 million a year. The Mac clone business was stopped after Steve Jobs returned as interim CEO of Apple in July 1997. In September, Apple bought the core assets of Power Computing for $100 million in Apple stock and terminated the Mac cloning business.[1]
- ^ "Power Computing Corporation". Official Apple Support. Apple Inc. February 18, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2017.