Acorn, founded in Cambridge in 1978, has grown to be an internationally recognised market leader in innovative personal computer products and services. Acorn is unique in being the only designer and manufacturer of RISC personal computers in Europe.
Headquartered in Cambridge, the company also has offices in Australia and New Zealand which have established a similar market coverage to that enjoyed by Acorn in the UK. In September 1993, Acorn increased its European presence by opening an office in Dusseldorf to market and support Acorn systems throughout Germany.
Acorn's range of 32 bit RISC computers is built around the family of advanced processors designed and developed by ARM Ltd, a company formed by Acorn in conjunction with Apple and VLSI. The ARM processors provide a unique combination of high performance, low cost, and low power consumption and are ideally suited to meet the needs of Acorn's customers by delivering exceptional price performance in highly integrated systems. The ARM family of processors is now also used by companies such as Apple, Sharp, and 3DO. The ARM licensees are: Cirrus Logic, GEC-Plessey Semiconductors, Samsung, Sharp, Texas instruments and VLSI Technology.
Acorn is the only European computer company that designs computers from chip level to end user solutions. With more than 400,000 RISC-based Acorn computers used worldwide in educational, consumer, corporate and publishing markets, not only is Acorn the number one supplier of computer systems to UK schools, it is also the world's leading supplier of low cost, 32 bit RISC personal computers.
Acorn is committed to R&D to ensure it maintains and enhances its reputation for innovation. Product development is controlled at all levels to provide high- performance, highly reliable and low-cost computer systems. In 1992, Acorn won its second Queen's Award for Technological Achievement for the development and exploitation of its RISC technology.
Acorn has been a leading supplier of multimedia-capable systems since 1986 when it was a partner with Philips and the British Broadcasting Corporation in the Domesday project. In 1994, Acorn established Online Media to create and exploit a range of technologies appropriate for success in the emerging interactive multimedia market.
Acorn is committed to working with partners to ensure that it remains at the forefront of emerging technologies and has agreements with many of the major players in the computer industry worldwide. For example, an agreement with Kodak allows Acorn to support PhotoCD imaging technology; the company has established relationships with Novell to enhance its networking strategy; it works with Microvitec to produce high quality monitors; it has a strong relationship with Psion to provide palmtop technology to its key markets; and it provides publishing solutions in association with AB Dick.
Acorn works continuously with a wide community of independent hardware and software developers to provide the widest range of specialist cards, peripherals and focused solutions for any RISC computer. Acorn is at the centre of an industry of hardware and software developers, service providers and resellers which is valued at approximately £250 million.
1978
Acorn Computers Limited is formed to market computer products. Its co-
founders are Chris Curry and Hermann Hauser.
The BBC puts out to tender a contract to develop and market micros to be used as support for their TV computer series. Acorn tenders with the Proton.
Acorn introduces the first affordable Local Area Networking, Econet.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) decides to sponsor the use of computers in secondary schools, contributing 50% of the purchase price. 95% of schools respond. This sponsorship is extended to primary schools in October 1982.
The BBC microcomputer is chosen for 7 out of every 10 micros bought for UK schools. With the addition of a huge range of peripherals and software, the BBC microcomputer system soon finds use in many fields. In tertiary education and research, uses include teaching, laboratory control, data collection and terminals to larger machines. For small business, software includes word processing, databases, stock control, and accounting. There is also a large home market with games and home education programs.
Other key technologies pioneered by Acorn:
Concept of a "Filing System"
Colour graphics as standard
Machine Operating System in ROM
Soft, programmable screen modes
Extendable operating system
I/O programmability integrated with OS/BASIC
Importance of good interrupt performance on personal computer
recognised and implemented
BBC BASIC as standard
It is anticipated that total sales of the BBC Micro will be in the region of 12,000 units. Sales eventually exceed 1 million computers.
Acorn takes over long established (1969) and highly regarded curriculum publisher, CES, from ICL. Acorn CES continues to work with educational partners to produce innovative books and software for education.
Other key technologies first introduced by Acorn:
Second Processors launched (6502 and later Z80, 32016 and ARM1)
Videotext integration (Prestel, Teletext)
The Acorn Cambridge Workstation with its National Semiconductor 16032 processor is the first affordable 32-bit workstation targeted at Tertiary education.
Acorn enters the multimedia arena as one of three partners in The Domesday Project. (Others partners are Philips and the BBC.)
Research at Acorn begins on a new processor architecture which will form the heart of a product launched in June 1987, and will become the basis for the subsequent flotation of Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) Limited.
Acorn launches the BBC Domesday system, which has the Master AIV (Advanced Interactive Video) at its heart. The system utilises a video disc filing system containing many hundreds of thousands of images, text pages, data sets and computer programs. The first software is a collection of material marking the 900th anniversary of the publication of the Domesday survey of England.
The BBC extends its contract with Acorn into the 1990's.
RISC OS is introduced. It provides the Archimedes user with a graphical user interface and multitasking capability superior to other offerings in the market.
RISC OS introduces:
Anti-aliased font manager as standard
Direct drive laser printer technology support
Acorn expands overseas, establishing subsidiaries in Australia and New Zealand.
During the year, Acorn's 100,000th ARM-based computer is sold. This year also sees the formation of Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) Ltd, a joint venture between Acorn, Apple and VLSI.
The A5000 is launched at the BBC Acorn User Show, providing an ARM 3 based system with performance equivalent to 486 PCs.
BBC A3000 remains the UK's leading schools computer.
Acorn expands the Archimedes range with the launch of the A3010, A3020 and A4000 models, and introduces portable computers with the Pocket Book and A4 notebook computer. Acorn's Universal Networking (AUN) strategy is announced.
Acorn sets up a Professional Publishing Division and initiates a commercial relationship with AB Dick to provide complete publishing systems.
Thanks to the success of the Acorn Computers/Tesco 'Computers for Schools' scheme, taking place for the second year running, over 11,000 schools across the UK benefit from new computing equipment.
Acorn forms Acorn Computers GmbH to market and support Acorn systems throughout Germany.
Acorn launches the Risc PC, the world's most cost effective, efficient 32 bit RISC computers.
Acorn announces the formation of Online Media, a new operating division, which will exploit the emerging interactive multimedia market.
March
Risc PC won CHIP magazine's "Best Risc Computer"
category, beating the Power Macintosh into second place.
April
The introduction of the PC 486 card a low-cost second processor card which
provides PC integration in a way others cannot at present replicate. This
product utilises the skills of Aleph 1, FTDI and IBM's Blue Micro and
Personal Software divisions to provide a world-beating solution to Acorn's
customers.
June
Acorn provides information via the Internet using a World Wide Web site
based at Acorn House.
(Acorn's own WWW client software will be available from July 1995).
September
Acorn Computers Ltd restructures into two operating divisions:
Acorn Education to market and support Acorn computers in education
and enthusiast markets and Applied Risc Technologies which will
design and develop products for both Acorn Education and other
partners.
