Mac Clones History: A Tale of Poor Margins and Bad Timing
8 days ago
- #TechHistory
- #Apple
- #MacClones
- The Mac clone program, intended to revive Apple's fortunes, had the opposite effect during its lowest era.
- Unauthorized Mac clones existed before licensed ones, including reverse-engineered models like the Akkord Technology Jonathan.
- Chuck Colby created early Mac conversions like the MacColby and Walkmac, which were niche but had notable customers.
- Apple's stance on clones shifted in the 1990s, leading to licensed clones from companies like Power Computing and UMAX.
- The licensed clone market failed because it led to a price war and cannibalized Apple's sales without expanding the Mac user base.
- Steve Jobs ended the clone program, citing loss of control and poor financial alignment.
- Apple briefly considered partnering with Sony to put Mac OS X on Vaio laptops, but the idea was rejected.