Britain and Ireland have kept the UK’s great tradition of innovation alive by giving us essential technology brands that make our lives easier. But these innovations and developments do not necessarily work every time. There are many great brands that have been discontinued, but here’s our list of defunct British and Irish technology brands:
Acorn Computers
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/anachrocomputer/45551479692
Acorn Computers was founded in Cambridge, England, in 1978. The company manufactured the BBC Microcomputer, which was sold to Olivetti in 1985. In 1998 the brand was closed down when it couldn’t afford to keep up with the competition.
Amstrad
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Amstrad was a British consumer electronics company founded by Alan Sugar. Amstrad is an acronym for “Advanced Microelectronics and Telecommunications”, two of its main products at the time. It spearheaded in what would be known as “the low-cost home computer market” during the 1980s, selling its 8-bit computers for under £100. The Amstrad CPC was released on June 4th 1983, and became one of Europe’s first mass-market personal computers. On October 9th, 2008, it was taken off the stock market and completely shut its business.
Iomega
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Iomega was a company that made storage devices, including Zip drives and external hard drives. It was founded in 1979 by Alan Shugart, who founded 3M. The brand’s best-known product was probably the Zip drive—a self-contained portable computer that could be recharged using just two AA batteries (or one alkaline). EMC Corporation acquired Iomega in 2008 for $100 million; it was then merged with its subsidiary Seagate Technology to form Hitachi GST Holdings Ltd., which continues to operate today as one of Japan’s largest electronics makers.
Psion
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomacintosh/4608327987/sizes/l/
Psion was founded in 1980 by Sir Richard Paul, who wanted to create a personal digital assistant (PDA) that people could use in the workplace. The brand’s best-known product was the Psion Organiser, launched in 1984 and one of the first PDAs to be sold in the UK. The Organiser included handwriting recognition software and a calendar function that let users store their appointments easily. It also featured networking capabilities so that it could be used as a modem when connected to another computer or phone line via a USB cable. In 2001, it withdrew from the consumer device market.
Sinclair
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alacahan/34288993213/sizes/l/
Sinclair was a British computer company founded by Clive Sinclair in Cambridge, England, in November 1982. It is best known for its home computers but also produced other products such as the ZX Spectrum (1982), the ZX81 (1981) and the ZX Spectrums (1983–1985). In 1983, it launched its subsidiary Sinclair Research Ltd which was formed to market Clive’s personal machines; initially called “Clive’s Computer” and later shortened to “Sinclair”, these computers were marketed with slogans such as “The World’s Smallest Computer”. On 7th September 1986, Sinclair was sold to Amstrad along with its brand name and entire range of products.
Commodore International
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Commodore International was a British home computer and electronics manufacturer. Founded in 1954 by Jack Tramiel, Commodore was best known for its line of home computers—the biggest success of which was the Commodore 64. This computer was one of the first 8-bit computers to be widely available, and helped establish an entire generation of players with their love for classic games such as Pac-Man or Duck Hunt. The company went bankrupt in 1994 after failing to keep up with competition from companies like Apple Computer Inc., Microsoft Corporation and Sony Corporation; however, it returned briefly in 2001 before being acquired by Amstrad on 1 August 1986 for £4 million ($6 million).
Bullough cameras (Opticron)
Bullough cameras was a British and Irish camera brand founded in 1913 by Ernest Bullough. The company’s first products were made using the Optascope, an early form of autofocus camera. In 1990, the company was acquired by Toshiba and renamed Toshiba Optical Co., Ltd.; it became part of Nikon Corporation’s camera business after being sold to Pentax Corporation in 1999. In 2008, Nikon merged its digital camera business with Konica Minolta Inc., forming two subsidiaries: Konica Minolta Digital Imaging LLC (KMD) and Konica Minolta Digital Imaging Europe SRL (KMDEU). KMDEU continued manufacturing Bullough cameras under license until 2012, when it announced that production would stop entirely within two years.
Conclusion
These are just some of the many technology brands from Britain and Ireland that have disappeared in recent years. However, technology brands continue to evolve despite going through difficult times. The future looks bright.
Muhammad Asfandyar is a lawyer having extensive experience in creative content writing, proofreading, legal and academic research writing. He can be reached at asfandyar.edw@gmail.com