Zeda Computers
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer |
| Founded | 1974 in Provo, Utah |
| Founder | John McMullen |
| Fate | Dissolution |
| Headquarters |
|
Zeda Computers International Limited, trading as Zeda Computer Systems, was an American computer company based in Provo, Utah, and with overseas office in Nottingham. Founded in 1974, their best-selling computer was the Zeda 580, a Zilog Z80-based all-in-one microcomputer.
Corporate history[edit]
Zeda Computers International was founded in 1974 by John McMullen.[1][2] Beginning life as a electronics research and development laboratory, with few years later the company expanded to full-time production and marketing of computer systems and electronic word processors from within its 7,000-square-foot headquarters. Expansion was hastened after the company earned a contract to design a computer terminal and a data buffer system for a computer peripheral manufacturer out of San Jose, California, in the mid-1970s.[1][3] In 1976, the company established an overseas sales office in Nottingham.[4]
After Zeda released its first microcomputers in late 1977, the company's revenues soon rose to US$1.5 million. The company's Z80-based all-in-one, the Zeda 580, sold especially well and prompted Zeda's expansion into a 1,500-square-foot building adjacent to its Provo headquarters to where they moved their marketing department.[1][2][5] They released a companion dumb terminal, the Zeda 550, in December 1979, allowing two users to operate the computer at once with the computer's special operating system,[6] InfiNet.[7]
Zeda had by 1980 dealer networks in the Western United States, England, Australia, and the South Pacific.[2] That year's summer, the company earned two additional contracts from dealers in Portland, Oregon, and Rantoul, Illinois, to distribute $5.7 million worth of Zeda's 580 systems.[2][8] The computer topped $1 million in domestic sales in August 1981;[9] in the United Kingdom, the company topped £1 million in sales turnover in 1984. Its Brighton sales office staffed 40 that year.[4] The branch was commissioned by the Peterborough Building Society to transform the bank's Westgate branch into having a computerized open office floor plan.[10]
Products[edit]
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References[edit]
- ^ a b c Staff writer (November 8, 1979). "Provo Computer Company Expands". The Daily Herald. Provo, Utah: 29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Staff writer (April 20, 1980). "2 Contracts Go to Provo Firm". The Daily Herald. Provo, Utah: 20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Staff writer (November 8, 1979). "Computer Firm Expands". The Salt Lake Tribune: 30 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Brett, Clive (June 7, 1984). "Zeda's turnover tops a million". Evening Post. Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England: 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Nadeau, Michael (2002). Collectible Microcomputers. Schiffer Book for Collectors (Illustrated ed.). Schiffer Publishing. p. 156. ISBN 9780764316005 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Staff writer (December 6, 1979). "Zeda Computers Open House Continues Until 7 Tonight". The Daily Herald. Provo, Utah: 21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Fox, Tom (January 1981). "Zeda". Interface Age. 7 (1). McPheters, Wolfe & Jones: 82 – via the Internet Archive.
- ^ Staff writer (April 26, 1980). "Area Business Tradewinds". The Salt Lake Tribune: 56 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Staff writer (October 22, 1981). "Zeda Co. Announces Expansion". Orem-Geneva Times: 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Staff writer (March 8, 1984). "Computer gives personal touch". Evening Post. Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England: 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Staff writer (November 1978). "Video Computer Stands Alone, as Intelligent Terminal, or RJE Station". Computer Design. 17 (11): 178 – via the Internet Archive.
- ^ Staff writer (April 12, 1978). "µC mainframe includes control panel". Electronic Design. 26 (8). Hayden Publishing: 150 – via the Internet Archive.