{"id":551783,"date":"2025-06-04T08:15:32","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T15:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/?p=551783"},"modified":"2025-06-04T08:30:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T15:30:32","slug":"power-computing-peaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/apple-history\/power-computing-peaks","title":{"rendered":"Today in Apple history: Mac clone-maker peaks before a dizzying decline"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"June June 4, 1997:<\/b> Mac clone-maker Power Computing hits its high point as the company’s top exec reaches an agreement with Apple concerning the forthcoming Mac OS 8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The deal allows the company to start making moves toward an IPO as the fastest-growing PC company of the decade. Things don’t turn out well, though.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The rise of Power Computing and its Mac clones<\/h2>\n

Founded in November 1993,\u00a0Power Computing set out to sell Mac clones by mail. With Dell’s mail-order computer business proving itself in the marketplace, Power Computing founder Stephen Kahng correctly surmised that a Mac version would do the same.<\/p>\n

The company started talks with Apple in April 1994. By the end of that year, Power Computing secured a deal with Cupertino<\/a>. (Soon, another Mac clone-maker, Radius<\/a>, would follow in Power Computing’s footsteps.)<\/p>\n

Why the deals to allow Mac clones? Facing big challenges like the impending release of Windows 95<\/a>, Apple was starting to struggle in 1994. In fact, the company was about to enter the worst phase of its history. As a result, an increasingly desperate Apple tried things it wouldn’t previously entertain — like making the Pippin video game console<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Clone Macs yield success<\/h3>\n

Power Computing released several Macintosh clones. These included the 1997 PowerTower and PowerTower Pro, which proved impressively fast for their day.<\/span><\/p>\n

By 1997, the Mac clone-maker was doing extremely well. The June 4 agreement with Apple CEO Gil Amelio<\/a> meant that, later that month, the company started seriously pursuing an IPO. (The tech industry raced to embrace this sort of strategy, which helped cause the dot-com crash not long after.)<\/span><\/p>\n

As The New York Times<\/em> noted, Power Computing was headed toward $700 million in revenue per year<\/a>. The company had “just agreed to purchase 150 acres in nearby Georgetown for a new, $28-million headquarters building,” according to the newspaper.<\/p>\n

And then the fall<\/h3>\n

However, the clone-maker’s fortunes reversed suddenly following a change in management at Apple in 1997. By July, Amelio was out as CEO<\/a> and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs<\/a> was back as interim CEO. And Jobs didn’t like clone Macs.<\/p>\n

By\u00a0August, Apple became locked in a standoff with Power Computing<\/a>. And by September, Apple agreed to acquire the clone-maker’s customer list and Mac OS license for $100 million in AAPL stock and $10 million to cover all outstanding debts and costs. Early in 1998, Power Computing shut down for good.<\/p>\n

Talk about a whirlwind rise and fall!<\/p>\n

Do you remember the era of clone Macs? Did you even perhaps own one? Let us know your memories in the comments below.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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