Zeos
Encyclopedia
ZEOS [ZEOS International, Ltd.] is a PC manufacturer based in Minneapolis
, Minnesota
. Originally based in New Brighton, Minnesota
and founded by Gregory E. Herrick, the company incorporated in Minnesota in 1981. Prior to manufacturing PCs, the company was called NPC Electronics. NPC was a contract assembly business best known for developing a transmitter device called Radio Realty. Marketed primarily to real estate broker
s, this product enabled prospective home buyers to tune in and listen to prerecorded information about a property listing while parked in front of the dwelling. Radio Realty was divested in the early 1980s as NPC started developing, manufacturing, and selling PCs under the ZEOS name.
The company went public in mid-1985 by self-underwriting
, and officially changed its name from NPC Electronics to ZEOS International.
processor. The company then began work engineering a motherboard to retrofit the soon-to-be-introduced Intel 386 processor on their existing 286 platform.
The company sold its first PC in November, 1987 with its first ad in Computer Shopper
. Rapid sales and growth led ZEOS to become Fortune
s fastest growing public company in America in 1991. ZEOS marketed its products primarily through mail order, but also partnered with and distributed PCs to Sam's Club
stores. ZEOS also had two retail outlet stores, located in Arden Hills, MN
, and Golden Valley, MN
, where refurbished and customer-returned hardware was resold, often at substantial discounts.
During the peak of its desktop business, ZEOS sold 386- and 486-based systems under the ZEOS and Discovery brand names, using various model names including Ambra, Millennium, and others. In the mid- 1990s, it sold both Pentium-based desktops, branded Pantera, and laptops branded Freestyle and Meridian. The company also marketed subnotebook
s branded Contenda (both 386SL-, 486SL-based) and ZEOS Pocket PC (8086-compatible palmtop
, using the NEC V30
processor).
The ZEOS 386SX was once featured on the cover of PC Magazine
, rated as Editor's Choice in its January 30, 1990 issue.
Late generations of ZEOS motherboards models were code-named with a zoological
theme. Motherboards based on early 486 designs went by classes of birds such as Duck, Goose, Gosling, and Martin. Later 486 and Pentium motherboards used families of serpents (i.e. snakes), such as Rattler, Python, Cobra, Coral, and Boa.
is standard practice.
Among other notable firsts, ZEOS was the first computer company to offer 24/7
toll-free
technical support
.
The company was also first to capitalize on e-commerce. Subscribers of the Prodigy
online service could browse and order ZEOS PCs long before the World Wide Web
had any significant presence.
In later years, the company was first to market preconfigured, ready-to-ship PCs under a campaign called "Computers Now", promising immediate (less than 24 hour) delivery nationwide. This initiative was successfully achieved through direct marketing
.
-based Micron Technologies, Micron Computer, Inc., and Micron Custom Manufacturing Services, Inc. in a reverse takeover
that resulted in Micron Technologies taking a controlling interest in ZEOS. The ZEOS brand was quickly phased out, and the combined company, known as Micron Electronics Inc., began trading under the symbol MUEI. The company has been sold twice since the original Micron/ZEOS transaction, and the final instance of the company, MPC Corporation
, ceased business operations on December 31, 2008.
ran MS-DOS
5.0 and was bundled with Microsoft Works
and RacePen. Small and lightweight for its time, its dimensions were 4.5" × 9.7" × 1.0" and it weighed approximately 1.3 lb (0.589670081 kg). The 640x200 monochrome
LCD screen was about 2.75" × 7" and was not backlit
. The keyboard was 9" wide (compared to 11" for a standard keyboard), making typing slightly tedious for many people. The unit featured two PCMCIA card slots, as well as a serial and a parallel port located on the rear which used proprietary mini-connectors and custom cables, which were included with the unit. The unit powered on instantly using two standard AA batteries and one lithium backup battery. It was manufactured in Taiwan
and sold by mail-order.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Originally based in New Brighton, Minnesota
New Brighton, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,206 people, 9,013 households, and 5,903 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,343.9 people per square mile . There were 9,121 housing units at an average density of 1,373.5 per square mile...
and founded by Gregory E. Herrick, the company incorporated in Minnesota in 1981. Prior to manufacturing PCs, the company was called NPC Electronics. NPC was a contract assembly business best known for developing a transmitter device called Radio Realty. Marketed primarily to real estate broker
Real estate broker
A real estate broker, real estate agent or realtor is a party who acts as an intermediary between sellers and buyers of real estate/real property and attempts to find sellers who wish to sell and buyers who wish to buy...
s, this product enabled prospective home buyers to tune in and listen to prerecorded information about a property listing while parked in front of the dwelling. Radio Realty was divested in the early 1980s as NPC started developing, manufacturing, and selling PCs under the ZEOS name.
The company went public in mid-1985 by self-underwriting
Underwriting
Underwriting refers to the process that a large financial service provider uses to assess the eligibility of a customer to receive their products . The name derives from the Lloyd's of London insurance market...
, and officially changed its name from NPC Electronics to ZEOS International.
History
The company's first PC related product was known as "PC Speeder," a device designed to increase the clock speed (and thereby the performance) of the 8086Intel 8086
The 8086 is a 16-bit microprocessor chip designed by Intel between early 1976 and mid-1978, when it was released. The 8086 gave rise to the x86 architecture of Intel's future processors...
processor. The company then began work engineering a motherboard to retrofit the soon-to-be-introduced Intel 386 processor on their existing 286 platform.
The company sold its first PC in November, 1987 with its first ad in Computer Shopper
Computer Shopper (US magazine)
Computer Shopper was a monthly consumer computer magazine published by SX2 Media Labs, it ceased publication in April 2009.The publisher continues to run ComputerShopper.com, a related website.- Web Site :...
. Rapid sales and growth led ZEOS to become Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
s fastest growing public company in America in 1991. ZEOS marketed its products primarily through mail order, but also partnered with and distributed PCs to Sam's Club
Sam's Club
Sam's Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. , the Sam's Club chain serves more than 47 million U.S. members...
stores. ZEOS also had two retail outlet stores, located in Arden Hills, MN
Arden Hills, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,652 people, 2,959 households, and 2,228 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,087.3 people per square mile . There were 3,017 housing units at an average density of 339.9 per square mile...
, and Golden Valley, MN
Golden Valley, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,281 people, 8,449 households, and 5,508 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,982.3 people per square mile . There were 8,589 housing units at an average density of 839.5 per square mile...
, where refurbished and customer-returned hardware was resold, often at substantial discounts.
During the peak of its desktop business, ZEOS sold 386- and 486-based systems under the ZEOS and Discovery brand names, using various model names including Ambra, Millennium, and others. In the mid- 1990s, it sold both Pentium-based desktops, branded Pantera, and laptops branded Freestyle and Meridian. The company also marketed subnotebook
Subnotebook
A subnotebook is a class of laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical laptop....
s branded Contenda (both 386SL-, 486SL-based) and ZEOS Pocket PC (8086-compatible palmtop
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
, using the NEC V30
NEC V20
The NEC V20 was a processor made by NEC that was a reverse-engineered, pin-compatible version of the Intel 8088 with an instruction set compatible with the Intel 80186...
processor).
The ZEOS 386SX was once featured on the cover of PC Magazine
PC Magazine
PC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
, rated as Editor's Choice in its January 30, 1990 issue.
Late generations of ZEOS motherboards models were code-named with a zoological
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
theme. Motherboards based on early 486 designs went by classes of birds such as Duck, Goose, Gosling, and Martin. Later 486 and Pentium motherboards used families of serpents (i.e. snakes), such as Rattler, Python, Cobra, Coral, and Boa.
Industry Firsts
ZEOS was a leader in numerous industry-shaping developments. The company was bundling Lotus 123 and Ami Pro with its systems while many competitors still included only operating system software (MS-DOS, Windows, etc) requiring customers to purchase applications separately and elsewhere. This move eventually forced ZEOS' rivals such as Dell and Gateway 2000 to also bundle software with their systems as well. Today the bundling of application software with new computersShovelware
Shovelware is a derogatory computer jargon term that refers to software noted more for the quantity of what is included than for the quality or usefulness...
is standard practice.
Among other notable firsts, ZEOS was the first computer company to offer 24/7
24/7
24/7 is an abbreviation which stands for "24 hours a day, 7 days a week", usually referring to a business or service available at all times without interruption...
toll-free
Toll-free telephone number
A toll-free, Freecall, Freephone, 800, 0800 or 1-800 number is a special telephone number which is free to the calling party, and instead the telephone carrier charges the called party the cost of the call...
technical support
Technical support
Technical support or tech support refers to a range of services by which enterprises provide assistance to users of technology products such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, software products or other electronic or mechanical goods...
.
The company was also first to capitalize on e-commerce. Subscribers of the Prodigy
Prodigy (ISP)
Prodigy Communications Corporation was an online service that offered its subscribers access to a broad range of networked services, including news, weather, shopping, bulletin boards, games, polls, expert columns, banking, stocks, travel, and a variety of other features.Initially subscribers...
online service could browse and order ZEOS PCs long before the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
had any significant presence.
In later years, the company was first to market preconfigured, ready-to-ship PCs under a campaign called "Computers Now", promising immediate (less than 24 hour) delivery nationwide. This initiative was successfully achieved through direct marketing
Direct marketing
Direct marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques such as mobile messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional...
.
Merger with Micron Technologies
In 1996, ZEOS acquired two business units of Boise, IdahoIdaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
-based Micron Technologies, Micron Computer, Inc., and Micron Custom Manufacturing Services, Inc. in a reverse takeover
Reverse takeover
A reverse takeover or reverse merger is the acquisition of a public company by a private company so that the private company can bypass the lengthy and complex process of going public...
that resulted in Micron Technologies taking a controlling interest in ZEOS. The ZEOS brand was quickly phased out, and the combined company, known as Micron Electronics Inc., began trading under the symbol MUEI. The company has been sold twice since the original Micron/ZEOS transaction, and the final instance of the company, MPC Corporation
MPC Corporation
MPC Corporation was a United States computer-hardware company based in Nampa, Idaho, USA, best known for providing desktops, notebooks, servers and services to customers in the federal, state and local government, education, small and medium business, and consumer markets...
, ceased business operations on December 31, 2008.
Zeos Pocket PC (PPC)
Manufactured around 1991–92 and selling for $595, this palmtopPersonal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
ran MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
5.0 and was bundled with Microsoft Works
Microsoft Works
Microsoft Works is an integrated package software that is produced by Microsoft. Works is smaller, less expensive, and has fewer features than Microsoft Office or other major office suites. Its core functionality includes a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database management system...
and RacePen. Small and lightweight for its time, its dimensions were 4.5" × 9.7" × 1.0" and it weighed approximately 1.3 lb (0.589670081 kg). The 640x200 monochrome
Monochrome
Monochrome describes paintings, drawings, design, or photographs in one color or shades of one color. A monochromatic object or image has colors in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale or black-and-white...
LCD screen was about 2.75" × 7" and was not backlit
Backlight
A backlight is a form of illumination used in liquid crystal displays . As LCDs do not produce light themselves , they need illumination to produce a visible image...
. The keyboard was 9" wide (compared to 11" for a standard keyboard), making typing slightly tedious for many people. The unit featured two PCMCIA card slots, as well as a serial and a parallel port located on the rear which used proprietary mini-connectors and custom cables, which were included with the unit. The unit powered on instantly using two standard AA batteries and one lithium backup battery. It was manufactured in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and sold by mail-order.