Most of of think of one or two companies when having a conversation about PCs, but in realty there are several Manufacturers in the realm of PC Manufacturing. Some specializes in personal computers while others focus strictly on business class equipment. It is important to make sure when selecting a computer to choose a brand and model that fits your needs.
Dell:
Dell Inc. is located in Round Rock, Texas and one of the largest privately owned companies in the world. Dell sells servers, personal computers, peripherals, software and network switches. It also produces several non-computer-related consumer electronic items. By acquiring Perot systems, Dell began providing IT services.
Michael Dell began building computers in 1984 from his dorm room at the University of Texas. In 1985, the first Dell-designed computer was produced. The company began expanding globally in 1988. The company’s revenue has grown to ~$56.94 billion. While the company was once publicly held, Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners successfully completed a leveraged buyout on October 30th, 2013.
HP:
Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Hewlett-Packard was founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in a one-car garage. It is the world’s largest computer manufacturer, just ahead of Lenovo. HP has a vast business and successfully develops and manufactures networking and storage hardware, computer hardware. It also provides extensive computer-related services.
Both founders graduated from Stanford University and decided on the name with a coin toss. There was a 50% chance the company could have been called Packard-Hewlett. The company was created in 1939.
Lenovo:
A large, Chinese company with nearly $30 billion in annual sales, Lenova is headquartered in both Beijing, China and Morrisville, NC. Lenova manufactures printers, scanners, storage, desktop computers, netbooks, notebooks, and tablets. The company was founded in 1984 and originally created under the name, Legend, by 10 engineers.
The company initially tried to import televisions, but was unsuccessful. The first foray into the computer world was the development of a circuit board for PCs that permitted to processing of Chinese characters. Lenovo was first publicly traded in 1994. It also acquired IBM’s personal computer business in 2005.
IBM:
IBM started in 1911 as the Computing Tabulating Recording Company and was actually formed from the merger of 3 separate companies. The name, International Business Machines was adopted in 1924. IBM is a very large company with over 430,000 employees and annual sales of over $100 billion.
IBM first realized success by processing data for clients, including the US government. In 1952, IBM created the first computer to play checkers; this is believed to be the first self-learning system. IBM developed the programming language, FORTRAN, in 1957. Many other milestones were accomplished, including providing assistance to NASA for orbital flights. The first computer systems were developed in 1964. IBM has acquired many companies over the years. IBM’s association with the NSA has hurt its credibility around the world in recent times.
Sony:
The Sony Corporation is primarily in the financial, entertainment and gaming sectors. The computer portion of the business is a relatively small part of the company’s activities. Sony has been a leader in developing optical storage technology and devices, including the introduction of the compact disk in 1983. Sony also introduced the 3.5 inch floppy disk in the same year. Flash memory was also created by Sony in 1998.
Sony produced computers in the 1980s, but these were only available in Japan. Leaving the computer market in 1990, Sony re-entered in 1996 with the VAIO brand. A series of tablet products were introduced in 2011. Keeping with Sony tradition they are some of the highest quality computers on the market…
Asus:
A Taiwanese company, Asus got its start in 1989. Asus is well known for motherboards. Asus was tapped to produce Microsoft’s Origami models in 2006. Asus produced its first laptop computers in 2007. The first model was named the Eee PC. In 2008, the company restructured and formed a division dedicated to PC production. Asus launched the thinnest notebook ever built in 2010, only 19 mm thick.
Acer:
Another company based in Taiwan, Acer has been building lower-end computers since the late 80s. It was originally a distributor of electronic parts. Over the years, Acer has acquired several companies, including Gateway, Packard Bell, E-Ten, and iGware. Acer produces and sells a wide variety of desktop, notebook, tablet, netbook, and Chromebook computers. Its offerings also include servers and storage solutions.
Toshiba:
Toshiba is based in Japan and was founded in 1939. The company started in the heavy engineering and equipment industries. Toshiba began manufacturing personal computers in 1986 and has grown into the fifth-largest personal computer vendor in the world. The company is also well known for several Japanese firsts, including the development of radar.
Samsung:
Based in South Korea, Samsung boasts annual revenue of $270 billion. Its first personal computer, the SPC-1000 was introduced in 1982 and only sold on the Korean market. In 1992, Samsung became was the largest producer of memory chips. It also became the largest manufacturer of LCD screens in 2005. Samsung acquired a portion of the Sony Corporation in 2011 as the result of a joint venture related to LCD technology.
Samsung is also in several other industries, including the music business. It has grown into one of the most respected companies in the world. Many believe it will become the most powerful electronics company.
Gateway:
First known for shipping its personal computers in boxes spotted like cows, the company was founded on a farm near Sioux City, Iowa in 1985. It was one of the first PC companies to successfully sell computers via direct selling. Gateway struggled after the dot-com bust and has struggled to be profitable since. Acquired by Acer in 2007, Gateway ceased all direct sales in 2008. Gateway continues to sell desktop and laptop computers through major retail outlets, such as Walmart and Best Buy.