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Delta Computer

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Delta Computer Corporation was a short-lived American computer systems company active from 1986 to 1989 and originally based in Canton, Massachusetts. The company marketed a variety of IBM PC compatible systems featuring Intel's 8088, 80286, and i386 processors under the Deltagold name. Delta also marketed a variety of peripherals, namely modems. The company was well-known for the styling of their products, bucking from the ubiquitous beige color of the vast majority of computer cases available on the market at the time by offering their computers in two-tone charcoal black, with gold trim. After a widely publicized failed move of their headquarters to Akron, Ohio, Delta filed for bankruptcy in 1989 and soon disappeared from the market.

History

Delta Computer was founded by Eugene "Gene" F. Taylor in Canton, Massachusetts, in October 1986.[1]: 45  Before founding Delta, Taylor was previously the vice president of sales for the Korean company Samsung Electronics' American subsidiary and was responsible for the latter's marketing in the United States.[2] Taylor recruited a number of key employees from Leading Edge Products, their nearest rival also based in Canton, during Delta's foundation. The company planned to market computers manufactured by Samsung, mirroring Leading Edge's strategy with their relationship with the Korean conglomerate Daewoo forged in the mid-1980s.[1]: 35  The company was made a business unit of Inspectorate International Group, an investment firm based in Birmingham, England.[3][4] Taylor's poaching of Leading Edge employees prompted a lawsuit against Delta by the latter in February 1987, Leading Edge accusing Delta of stealing trade secrets, among other damages.[1]: 35 [2]

Delta's first products were launched in May 1987 and comprised a duo of IBM PC compatibles manufactured by Samsung. The computers were based on IBM's original Personal Computer and the later Personal Computer AT and retailed for around US$1,000 and $2,000, respectively.[3] Not long after these computers were introduced, Delta themselves launched a lawsuit against Samsung over a breach of an exclusivity contract, after Samsung began selling their own PC clones directly in the United States.[5] Delta's computers were then pulled off the market, and in July, Delta won a restraining order in a United Sates court temporarily barring Samsung from selling their PCs directly in the country until October 1987.[6][7] In September 1987, Delta relaunched their sales effort, marketing a trio of computers under the Deltagold name. This family of computers comprised the Elite, running an up-to-10-MHz 8088 and featuring either dual 5.25-inch floppy disk drives or one floppy and one 20-MB hard disk drive; the Prestige, running a 10-MHz 80286 (competing directly with the PC AT) and featuring either dual 5.25-inch floppy drives or one floppy and one 20-MB or 40-MB hard drive; and the Premier, running a 20-MHz i386 and featuring a 5.25-inch floppy and a 40-MB hard drive.[5]

The company's Deltagold computers were notable for their bold aesthetics, featuring two-tone charcoal black plastics and paint jobs, with gold trim elements; smoked plastic doors covering the disk drives;[5][8] an LCD clock and calendar that operated independently of the computer; and a microprocessor clock frequency indicator.[4] The vast majority of computers at the time were colored beige (a trend which lasted into the early 2000s).[5] Delta's vice president Jim Patterson justified the decision by stating that, "With computers so much a part of the office environment, we designed our machines to become a part of the office aesthetically, as well as functionally".[5] Popular Mechanics called Delta's computers "quite attractive",[9]: 15  while PC Week wrote that they were "allegedly handsome".[5] The company also included a VHS training tape with every computer, as well as a quick-start guide that clipped to the front panels of the systems.[5][8]

By May 1987, Delta Computer moved their headquarters from Canton to Mansfield, Massachusetts.[3] The company's computers initially sold well, especially on the East Coast where the company was based.[4] In late 1987, Delta announced their first laptops, comprising the Voyager I and the Voyager II, both featuring 81-key keyboards, monochrome LCDs with blue electroluminescent backlighting, and single floppy disk drives (the Voyager I possessing a 720-KB unit and the Voyager II, a 1.44-MB unit).[10] In early 1988, the company introduced their first standalone peripheral, the similarly named DM-1200 Voyager, which was a 1200-baud portable external modem.[11] In January 1989—by which point the company relocated to El Segundo, California—Delta entered a partnership with Digital Research to bundle Deltagold computers with Digital Research's DR-DOS operating system, in lieu of MS-DOS.[12]

[13] [14]

[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wilke, John (April 22, 1987). "Leading Edge accuses firm of cloning". The Boston Globe: 35, 45 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Greene, Alice (February 23, 1987). "Start-up clone maker Delta Computer in legal battle with Leading Edge". Computer Reseller News (192). UBM LLC: 1 et seq. – via Gale.
  3. ^ a b c "Delta Computer enters clone market". The Boston Globe: 40. May 20, 1987 – via Newspapers.com. ProQuest 294370362.
  4. ^ a b c Hudkins, Lonnie (January 24, 1988). "New IBM Compatible Selling Well in Area". The Buffalo News: E-8 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Stephen, Bruce (September 1, 1987). "Looks are everything: Delta launches series of better looking PCs". PC Week. 4 (35). Ziff-Davis: 29 – via Gale.
  6. ^ "Court orders Samsung to halt PC sales". Computerworld. XXI (29). CW Communications: 113. July 20, 1987 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Judge Says Samsung, Delta Spat Should Be Settled in South Korea". InfoWorld. 9 (42). IDG Publications: 50. October 19, 1987 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b Warner, Edward (September 28, 1987). "Delta Debuts IBM-Standard". InfoWorld. 9 (29). IDG Publications: 32 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Booth, Stephen A. (March 1988). "Reach Out and Touch..." Popular Mechanics. 165 (3): 12–15 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Barney, Douglas (November 16, 1987). "Cloners push speed at Comdex". InfoWorld. XXI (46). CW Communications: 33, 40 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Satchell, Stephen (February 29, 1988). "On the Road: In Search of the Perfect Modem". InfoWorld. 10 (9). IDG Publications: 54 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Ponting, Bob (January 16, 1989). "Delta Is Bundling DR DOS with Delta Gold Line of PCs". InfoWorld. 11 (3). IDG Publications: 22 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Ruiz, Frank (June 7, 1987). "New line of PCs". The Tampa Tribune: 9-E – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Warner, Jack (June 14, 1987). "A Motherboardless Child". The Daily Spectrum. Saint George, Utah: B3 – via Newspapers.com. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  15. ^ "Delta Computer Moving". The New York Times: D3. February 2, 1989 – via ProQuest. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  16. ^ Barnes, Jon (February 6, 1989). "Delta's Move to Akron a Homecoming for Prez". Crain's Cleveland Business. 10 (6). Crain Communications: 4 – via ProQuest.
  17. ^ Nevada, Charlene (February 1, 1989). "Computer firm to make Akron new home". The Akron Beacon-Journal: A1, A6 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Geiger, Peter (February 2, 1989). "Full operation seen in May by computer firm". The Akron Beacon-Journal: B6, B10 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "The Bottom Line". The Miami Herald: 50. February 2, 1989 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Delta Corp. picks Akron". The Cincinnati Enquirer: 33. February 3, 1989 – via Newspapers.com. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  21. ^ "Computer company selects Akron as site for new plant". News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio: 4-C. February 3, 1989 – via Newspapers.com. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  22. ^ Geiger, Peter (February 4, 1989). "Plastics is key to computer firm's move". The Akron Beacon-Journal: A8, A12 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Allen, Dale (February 5, 1989). "Tidbits of good news, but there is much work yet to be done". The Akron Beacon-Journal: B3 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Computer firm moving from Far East to Ohio". February 5, 1989: D3. February 5, 1989 – via Newspapers.com. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  25. ^ Staff writers (February 10, 1989). "Hiring under way for Akron computer plant". The Akron Beacon-Journal: C8 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Staff writers (February 15, 1989). "OBES to register Delta job-seekers after all". The Akron Beacon-Journal: B1 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Florida, Phillip (February 23, 1989). "Troubled Rockledge computer sales firm joins with Calif. company". Florida Today: 17C, 18C – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Burnett, Richard (February 27, 1989). "Moving Back on Track". The Orlando Sentinel: 28 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Geiger, Peter (March 6, 1989). "Expert looks at computer that will call Akron home". The Akron Beacon-Journal: B6 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ Staff writers (March 7, 1989). "Briefcase". The Orlando Sentinel: C-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Geiger, Peter (March 13, 1989). "Changes give computer show boost". The Akron Beacon-Journal: 32 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Geiger, Peter (March 26, 1989). "Computer factory plans May start-up in Akron". The Akron Beacon-Journal: B14 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ Geiger, Peter (April 21, 1989). "Plan to move computer firm to Akron fades as official quits". The Akron Beacon-Journal: A1, A16 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Akron loses computer company". The Newark Advocate: 3. April 22, 1989 – via Newspapers.com. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  35. ^ Yeomana, Adam (May 1, 1989). "Turning Around". The Orlando Sentinel: 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ Burnett, Richard (June 2, 1989). "Cache Technologies posts $1.5 million loss". The Orlando Sentinel: C-1, C-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ Geiger, Peter (June 19, 1989). "Business dreams reborn". The Akron Beacon-Journal: C1, C4 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ Liden, Catherine (October 16, 1989). "Cocoa PC marketer Phoenix plans public offering". Florida Today: 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ Geiger, Peter (January 30, 1990). "High-tech, finally, at Canal Place". The Akron Beacon-Journal: D6, D10 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ Geiger, Peter (February 1, 1990). "Ex-computer firm exec files for bankruptcy". The Akron Beacon-Journal: C11 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ Byard, Katie; Peter Geiger (May 15, 1990). "Delta dawn—again". The Akron Beacon-Journal: D4 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ "Getting It Straight". The Akron Beacon-Journal: 44. May 17, 1990 – via Newspapers.com.
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