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| Apricot PC | |
|---|---|
| Name | Apricot PC |
| Developer | Apricot Computers |
| Released | 1980s |
| Discontinued | 1990s |
| Type | Personal computer |
| Os | MS-DOS, Xenix, custom BIOS |
| Cpu | Various (Intel, Fujitsu) |
| Memory | Various |
| Storage | Floppy, Hard disk |
| Display | CGA, proprietary graphics |
Apricot PC is a family of personal computers produced by Apricot Computers during the 1980s and early 1990s. The line combined bespoke hardware design, custom firmware, and support for multiple operating systems to target business, governmental, and institutional customers across Europe and international markets. Apricot models competed with contemporaries from IBM PC, Compaq, Olivetti, NEC, and DEC while interacting with software ecosystems around Microsoft, Digital Research, AT&T, X/Open, and Unix System Laboratories.
Apricot Computers, founded in the late 1970s, introduced machines that blended innovative industrial design, proprietary expansion, and compatibility efforts with standards set by Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Digital Research, Inc., and Bell Labs. Early Apricot systems positioned themselves amid products from Apple Computer, Tandy Corporation, Sinclair Research, Atari Corporation, and Amstrad and were marketed to clients including British Telecom, Deutsche Bundespost, National Health Service (England and Wales), Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), and European Commission. The Apricot PC line is notable for engineering choices that intersected with developments from Intel 8086, Intel 80286, Fujitsu Limited, and firmware trends influenced by Phoenix Technologies and IBM BIOS developments.
Apricot Computers emerged following collaborations between British entrepreneurs and Japanese manufacturing partners such as Fujitsu Limited and suppliers to NEC Corporation and Hitachi, Ltd.. Initial design goals referenced marketplace shifts driven by IBM PC/AT, Compaq Portable, Olivetti M24, and the adoption trajectories of MS-DOS and CP/M. Development cycles involved chipset decisions influenced by Intel, storage innovations paralleling work from Seagate Technology and Quantum Corporation, and display solutions related to standards promoted by IBM Corporation and Digital Equipment Corporation. Corporate strategy and product planning were affected by market events like the rise of Microsoft Windows 3.0, competition from Apple Macintosh, and consolidation in the PC industry exemplified by mergers among Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell Inc..
Apricot PC hardware combined custom motherboard designs, proprietary BIOS and firmware influenced by practices at Phoenix Technologies and IBM PC, and CPU choices including iterations of Intel 80286 and bespoke Fujitsu microprocessors. Storage subsystems used floppy drives compatible with formats standardized by IBM and hard disks supplied by Seagate, with controllers interoperable with expansions from Western Digital. Graphics and display options referenced CGA-like capabilities and proprietary higher-resolution modes competing with solutions from Matrox, Trident Microsystems, and ATI Technologies. I/O and expansion interfaced with peripherals from Epson, Canon, HP, and networking accessories aligned with early Novell NetWare and Xerox PARC-inspired local area networking. Power supplies, enclosures, and keyboard designs reflected industrial design trends seen at Fujitsu, Olivetti, and Apple Computer.
Apricot PCs ran a mix of operating systems: MS-DOS versions licensed via Microsoft; Xenix ports derived from UNIX System Laboratories and Microsoft Xenix collaborations; and compatibility layers for CP/M-86 from Digital Research. Application ecosystems included packages from Lotus Development Corporation (notably Lotus 1-2-3), WordPerfect Corporation, Microsoft Word, dBase, Oracle Corporation database clients, and vertical-market software developed by vendors such as Sage Group and SAP SE. Software distribution and support intersected with services from IBM, Compaq, Novell, Inc., and independent software houses operating in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan.
Contemporary reviews and business uptake compared Apricot PCs to offerings from IBM PC, Compaq, Olivetti, and NEC, with commentary in trade press including outlets tied to Byte Magazine, Compute!, Personal Computer World, and The Wall Street Journal. Apricot's emphasis on design, integrated features, and targeted sales attracted contracts from institutions such as British Airways, HSBC, Royal Mail, and local governments, while competition from global firms like Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard applied pressure on pricing and distribution. Strategic shifts in operating system standardization around Microsoft Windows and hardware commoditization influenced Apricot's market position and eventual restructuring amid industry consolidation exemplified by acquisitions involving firms like ACT (company) and Fujitsu Limited.
The Apricot PC family encompassed a range of desktop and portable machines, including models produced in partnership with Fujitsu, and contemporaneous lines paralleling machines such as the Olivetti M24, Compaq Portable, and Fujitsu FM-7. Variants differed by CPU (e.g., Intel 80286), mass storage capacity from vendors like Seagate Technology, graphics options competing with ATI Technologies and Matrox Graphics International, and bundled software titles from Microsoft, Lotus, and WordPerfect Corporation. Specific commercial deployments mirrored procurement patterns at organizations like British Telecom, Royal Bank of Scotland, and educational institutions across the United Kingdom and Europe.
Interest in Apricot PCs persists among historians, collectors, and preservationists who document hardware and firmware in communities linked to Computer History Museum, Vintage Computer Federation, The National Museum of Computing, and online archives curated by volunteers and scholars. Preservation efforts involve hardware restoration with components from suppliers like Seagate, Western Digital, and Fujitsu, while software archival draws on copies of MS-DOS, Xenix, and proprietary BIOS images. Academic and enthusiast work connects Apricot's trajectory to broader narratives involving IBM PC/AT, Microsoft Windows, UNIX System V, and the globalization of personal computing led by companies such as IBM, Apple Computer, Compaq, and Dell Inc..
Category:Personal computers