Editing Amstrad (section)

== History ==

=== Early beginnings ===
[[File:Amstrad 7070.jpg|thumb|Amstrad 7070 tape deck (c. 1970s)]]
Amstrad (also known as AMSTrad) was founded in 1968 by [[Alan Sugar]] at the age of 21, the name of the original company being AMS Trading (Amstrad) Limited, derived from its founder's initials (Alan Michael Sugar). Amstrad entered the market in the field of [[consumer electronics]]. During the 1970s they were at the forefront of low-priced hi-fi, TV and car stereo [[compact cassette|cassette]] technologies. Lower prices were achieved by [[injection moulding]] plastic hi-fi turntable covers, undercutting competitors who used the [[vacuum forming]] process.

Amstrad expanded to the marketing of low cost [[audio power amplifier|amplifiers]] and [[tuner (radio)|tuners]], imported from [[East Asia]] and badged with the Amstrad name for the UK market. Their first electrical product was the Amstrad 8000 amplifier.

=== Home computers ===
[[File:Amstrad logo 1980s.svg|thumb|Logo of Amstrad introduced in the 1980s for their home computers]]
[[File:Amstrad CPC464.jpg|thumb|The [[Amstrad CPC 464]] personal microcomputer (1984)|left]]
In 1980, Amstrad went public trading on the [[London Stock Exchange]], and doubled in size each year during the early '80s. Amstrad began marketing its own [[home computer]]s in an attempt to capture the market from [[Commodore International|Commodore]] and [[Sinclair Research|Sinclair]], with the [[Amstrad CPC]] range in 1984. The [[Amstrad CPC 464|CPC 464]] was launched in the UK, Ireland, France, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Spain and Italy. It was followed by the [[Amstrad CPC#CPC 664|CPC 664]] and [[Amstrad CPC#CPC 6128|CPC 6128]] models. Later "[[Amstrad CPC#464 plus, 6128 plus|Plus]]" variants of the 464 and 6128, launched in 1990, increased their functionality slightly.

[[File:Amstrad PCW512.JPG|thumb|Amstrad [[PCW8512]] word processor (1985)]]
In 1985, the popular [[Amstrad PCW]] range was introduced, which were principally [[word processor]]s, complete with printer, running the [[LocoScript]] word processing program. They were also capable of running the [[CP/M]] operating system. The [[Amsoft]] division of Amstrad was set up to provide in-house software and consumables.

On 7 April 1986 Amstrad announced it had bought from Sinclair Research "the worldwide rights to sell and manufacture all existing and future Sinclair computers and computer products, together with the Sinclair brand name and those intellectual property rights where they relate to computers and computer related products",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crashonline.org.uk/28/news.htm|title=CRASH 28 - News|access-date=10 January 2016}}</ref> which included the [[ZX Spectrum]], for £5 million. This included Sinclair's unsold stock of [[Sinclair QL]]s and Spectrums. Amstrad made more than £5 million on selling these surplus machines alone. Amstrad launched two new variants of the Spectrum: the [[ZX Spectrum +2]], based on the ZX Spectrum 128, with a built-in [[Compact Cassette (data)|cassette tape drive]] (like the CPC 464) and, the following year, the [[ZX Spectrum +3]], with a built-in [[floppy disk]] drive (similar to the CPC 664 and 6128), taking the 3" disks that many Amstrad machines used.

[[File:ZX Spectrum Plus2 (retouched).jpg|thumb|The [[ZX Spectrum|ZX Spectrum +2]] (1986). This was the first new Spectrum model released by Amstrad after their purchase of the range.|left]]

In 1986 Amstrad entered the [[IBM PC-compatible]] arena with the [[PC1512]] system. In standard Amstrad livery and priced at £399 it was a success, capturing more than 25% of the European computer market.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} It was [[MS-DOS]]-based, but with the GEM graphics interface, and later [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]. In 1988 Amstrad attempted to make the first affordable portable personal computer with the [[Amstrad PPC 512|PPC512 and 640]] models, introduced a year before the [[Macintosh Portable]]. They ran [[MS-DOS]] on an 8&nbsp;MHz processor, and the built-in screen could emulate the [[IBM Monochrome Display Adapter|Monochrome Display Adapter]] or [[Color Graphics Adapter]]. Amstrad's final (and ill-fated) attempts to exploit the Sinclair brand were based on the company's own PCs; a compact desktop PC derived from the PPC 512, branded as the [[Sinclair PC200]], and the PC1512 rebadged as the Sinclair PC500.

[[File:Amstrad PPC512 open.jpg|thumb|[[Amstrad PPC 512]] portable PC (1987)]]
Amstrad's second generation of PCs, the PC2000 series, were launched in 1989. However,
due to a problem with the [[Seagate Technology|Seagate]] ST277R hard disk shipped with the PC2386 model, these had to be recalled and fitted with [[Western Digital]] controllers. Amstrad later successfully sued Seagate, but following bad press over the hard disk problems, Amstrad lost its lead in the European PC market.<ref>Computer Contracts - Merchantable Quality in Hardware Contracts - Amstrad plc v. Seagate Technology {{Cite web |url=http://www.ipit-update.com/ictcon10.htm |title=Richard Cole Must Computer Contracts always be fit for Purpose |access-date=12 January 2009 |archive-date=5 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905061247/http://www.ipit-update.com/ictcon10.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Launch of Sky and Astra Satellite ===
[[File:Luxcrypt_%2B_Amstrad_SRX200.jpg|thumb|Amstrad SRX200 satellite receiver, with Luxcrypt decoder]]
Amstrad had been a major supplier of [[set top box]]es to UK [[satellite television]] pay-TV provider [[Sky UK|Sky]] since its launch in 1989 following the launch of the SES [[Astra 1A]] TV satellite. Amstrad was key to the introduction of Sky, as the company was responsible for finding methods to produce the requisite equipment at an attractive price for the consumer - Alan Sugar famously approached "someone who bashes out dustbin lids", to manufacture mesh [[satellite dish]]es cheaply. Ultimately, it was the only manufacturer producing receiver boxes and dishes at the system's launch, and continued to manufacture set top boxes for Sky, from analogue to digital including Sky's [[Sky+]] [[digital video recorder]].

With the addition of the [[Astra 1B]] TV satellite in May 1991 even more TV programs were available in Central Europe. In former East Germany as well as in the parts of former West Germany that had no access to cable TV, the affordable Amstrad receiver with the typical black mesh minidish were sold in large numbers. 

=== Restructuring in the 1990s ===
[[File:Amstrad-GX4000-Console-Set.jpg|thumb|[[Amstrad GX4000]] video game console (1990)|left]]
In the early 1990s, Amstrad began to focus on portable computers rather than [[desktop computer]]s. In 1990, Amstrad tried to enter the [[video game console]] market with the [[Amstrad GX4000]], similar to what [[Commodore International|Commodore]] did at the same time with the [[Commodore 64 Games System|C64 GS]]. The console, based on the Amstrad 464 Plus hardware, was a commercial failure, because it used outdated technology, and most games available for it were straight ports of CPC games that could be purchased for much less in their original format.

[[File:Amstrad NC100 (angle view) (Thomas Conté).jpg|thumb|[[Amstrad NC100]] (1992)]]
In 1993, Amstrad was licensed by [[Sega]] to produce a system which was similar to the [[Sega TeraDrive]], going by the name of the [[Amstrad Mega PC]], to try to regain their image in the gaming market. The system didn't succeed as well as expected, mostly due to its high initial retail price of £999. In that same year, Amstrad released the [[PenPad]], a [[Personal digital assistant|PDA]] similar to the [[Apple Newton]], and released only weeks before it. It was a commercial failure, and had several technical and usability problems. It lacked most features that the Apple Newton included, but had a lower price at $450.

[[File:Amstrad PenPad PDA600.jpg|thumb|[[PenPad|Amstrad PenPad]] (1993)]]
As Amstrad began to concentrate less on computers and more in communication, they purchased several telecommunications businesses including [[Betacom]], Dancall Telecom, [[Viglen|Viglen Computers]], and modem manufacturer Dataflex Design Communications, bought out of liquidation, during the early 1990s. The company also established a direct marketing channel, Amstrad Direct, in late 1994 and announced 486- and Pentium-based products including an "[[All-in-one PC|All-in-One]] Multimedia PC" with built-in television tuner, infra-red remote control, amplifier and speakers. A pen-based personal digital assistant with support for a PCMCIA-based modem, the InfoPad, was also unveiled with a September 1995 launch scheduled.<ref name="computershopper199505_amstrad">{{ cite magazine | title='Sleeping giant' to reawake | magazine=Computer Shopper | date=May 1995 | pages=392 }}</ref>

By 1996, Alan Sugar was reported as having been looking for a buyer for Amstrad "for some time". Amongst the group's assets, cumulatively valued at {{nowrap|£200 million}}, the Dancall subsidiary was of particular interest to potential acquirer [[Psion (company)|Psion]], producer of handheld computer products, for its expertise in "GSM digital mobile phone functionality" and the potential to integrate such functionality into Psion's own product range. Despite "long drawn out negotiations", the parties failed to agree a price and a strategy to dispose of the group's other assets.<ref name="acornuser199610_psion">{{ cite news | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser173-Oct96/page/n8/mode/1up | title=Psion, StrongARM, GSM and the Amstrad factor | work=Acorn User | date=October 1996 | access-date=29 August 2021 | pages=9 }}</ref> In 1997, Amstrad PLC was wound up, its shares being split into Viglen and Betacom instead. Betacom PLC was then renamed Amstrad PLC.

The same year, Amstrad supplied set top boxes to Australian broadcaster [[Foxtel]], and in 2004 to Italian broadcaster [[Sky Italia]].
[[File:Sky-digibox.jpg|thumb|A Sky [[Digibox]] manufactured by Amstrad (2000s)]]
[[File:Amstrad E-mailer Plus.png|thumb|Amstrad E-mailer Plus]]

=== E-m@iler, Sky boxes, and final years ===
In 2000, Amstrad released the first of its combined [[telephony]] and [[email]] devices, called the ''[[Amstrad E-mailer|E-m@iler]]''. This was followed by the ''E-m@iler Plus'' in 2002, and the ''E3 Videophone'' in 2004. Amstrad's UK E-m@iler business is operated through a separate company, Amserve Ltd which is 89.8% owned by Amstrad and 10.2% owned by [[DSG International plc]] (formerly [[Dixons Retail|Dixons]] plc).

Amstrad has also produced a variety of home entertainment products over their history, including hi-fi, televisions, [[Videocassette recorder|VCRs]], and [[DVD]] players.

==== BSkyB takeover ====

In July 2007, [[BSkyB|British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)]] announced a takeover of Amstrad for £125m,<ref name="BSkyB">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6923517.stm|title=BSkyB agrees £125m Amstrad deal|access-date=2007-07-31|date=2007-07-31|work=BBC News| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070806235007/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6923517.stm| archive-date= 6 August 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> a 23.7% premium on its market capitalisation. BSkyB had been a major client of Amstrad, accounting for 75% of sales for its 'set top box' business. Having supplied BSkyB with hardware since its inception in 1988, market analysts had noted the two companies becoming increasingly close.
[[File:Sky DRX895w.jpg|left|thumb|DRX895W [[Sky+]] digital video recorder manufactured by Amstrad (without Amstrad branding, 2009)]]
Sky bought Amstrad so they could have their own hardware development division to develop new satellite boxes ([[Sky Q]]) made in-house.<ref>{{Cite web |title=End of an era as Sky buys Amstrad |url=https://www.itpro.co.uk/121394/end-of-an-era-as-sky-buys-amstrad |website=IT PRO|date=31 July 2007 }}</ref> Under Sky, Amstrad only produced satellite receivers for Sky, as doing so allows them to reduce costs by cutting out the middleman.<ref>{{Cite web |title=End of an era as Sky buys Amstrad |url=https://www.itpro.co.uk/121394/end-of-an-era-as-sky-buys-amstrad |website=IT PRO|date=31 July 2007 }}</ref> Its main competitor in this space was [[Pace plc]].<ref name=":0" />

Sugar commented that he wished to play a part in the business, saying: "I turn 60 this year and I have had 40 years of hustling in the business, but now I have to start thinking about my team of loyal staff, many of whom have been with me for many years."

It was announced on 2 July 2008 that Sugar had stepped down as Chairman of Amstrad, which had been planned since BSkyB took over in 2007.
Amstrad was taken off the Stock Exchange on 9 October 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/00955321/filing-history/MDE4NzM1MTE4OWFkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0|title=PDF from Company House}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skynews/20080702/tbs-sugar-steps-down-as-amstrad-chairman-327c223.html|title=Sugar steps down as Amstrad Chairman}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7484618.stm | work=BBC News | title=Sir Alan steps down from Amstrad | date=2 July 2008 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> Amstrad has ceased operations as a trading company, and now exists in name only.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/00955321/filing-history/MzIxNTIwMDQ5MWFkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0|title=Accounts for a dormant company}}</ref> Amstrad's former offices are now a [[Premier Inn]] Hotel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/essex/brentwood/brentwood.html|title=Brentwood Hotels &#124; Book Cheap Hotels In Brentwood Essex &#124; Premier Inn|website=www.premierinn.com}}</ref>

===Revival of Amstrad name===
In 2024 Sugar announced he had bought back the rights to the Amstrad name from [[Sky UK]]. Amstrad now belongs to a digital marketing firm named Amstrad Digital headed by Sugar's grandson Joe Baron.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mucklejohn |first1=Lars |title=Lord Sugar revives Amstrad brand for grandson's marketing agency |url=https://www.cityam.com/lord-sugar-buys-back-amstrad-brand-name-for-new-marketing-agency-led-by-grandson/ |access-date=23 February 2025 |work=City AM |date=4 March 2024}}</ref>