Franklin's bad ads for Apple ][ clones and the beloved impersonator they depict

4 days ago

Franklin Computer Corporation's ACE 100 and ACE 1000 series were close clones of the Apple ][, with stolen intellectual property including possible BIOS code copying.
The company used Benjamin Franklin impersonator Ralph Archbold in ads, leaning heavily on the founding father motif despite the hypocrisy of their copyright infringement.
Franklin's clones were cheaper than Apple's, offering features like lowercase typing and more RAM, leading to popularity and a lawsuit from Apple that Franklin initially lost but won on appeal.
The ACE machines were praised for longevity, remaining functional for decades, but Franklin eventually shifted to handheld electronics like Bible devices and MP3 players in the 1990s.
Franklin's marketing stunts, such as hiring swimsuit models at Applefest 1982, generated buzz, but their reliance on cloned hardware tarnished their reputation over time.

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