209:, Venezuela (where he learned Spanish), in 1960; started his own business importing steel from Japan in Venezuela later in the 1960s; and worked as U.S. sales representative for Sakata, a Japanese semiconductor fabricator, in the early 1970s. At Sakata he bartered with the company's executives to be allowed to use the Sakata trademark for his own independent trading company, Sakata International, headed by himself. Sakata agreed, but almost as soon as Sakata International began it was merged back into its namesake parent, because the demand for Sakata products in the United States was too high for Sugiura to pay in advance with his allotted capital. Still possessing the urge to have his own company, as a side job Sugiura incorporated Leedex as an importer of car radio components. A manufacturer in Ohio previously established under the name Leedex threatened a trademark infringement suit against Sugiura, prompting him to change the name of his company to Amdek. According to
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of a booth shared by another person. Despite having only one sample unit on display at the end of his half of the booth's table, the Amdek monitor garnered significant interest by the showgoers. Later in 1978, Sugiura ordered 500 units from the supplier of the data terminal—units which comprised shells of the terminal including the tube but without the circuitry for the data terminal—and sold each for $ 129, $ 50 less than the only other aftermarket computer monitor available. By 1981, the company was selling between 2,000 to 3,000 monochrome monitors per month.
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27:
289:. Despite remaining a market leader in monitors into the mid-1980s—in 1986 it supplied half of all monochrome monitors on the market—in 1985 the company posted significant losses, which Sugiura blamed partially on failed forays into other computer peripherals. Rumors began circulating that Micro-Term, a
338:
noting in 1994 that "the few new products it has introduced have been out of step with the rest of the monitor market". In 1994 Wyse staged a comeback of the Amdek name with several new models released that year—one monochrome model and three "thoroughly up-to-date" color monitors, all compliant with
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demonstrate the Apple II at a computer show. The two discussed their findings, McCracken suggesting that
Sugiura repurpose the terminal as a monochrome composite monitor for the Apple II, to be shown at a future computer show. At a summer 1978 computer show in Texas, Sugiura spent $ 375 for his half
154:) was an American computer peripheral and system manufacturer active from 1977 to the mid-1990s. The company was renowned for their standalone computer monitors compatible with a wide array of systems from the early microcomputer era to the personal computer age. According to
229:
who had met
Sugiura at a foreclosure of another electronics company, for whom Sugiura was a creditor of the company and McCracken was an actuary at the bank handling liquidation proceedings. McCracken was the first dealer of computers in the state of Missouri to import
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for any aftermarket computer monitor among the computer-buying public. In 1983 Roland relinquished their stake in Amdek, and the company was once again independent. That year, the company posted $ 50 million in sales and employed 65, with headquarters in
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With the rise of the microcomputer in the late 1970s, Sugiura wanted to enter the industry but lacked the personal experience with computers and knowledge of electrical engineering. He contacted Ted McCracken, a friend and professor of computer science at the
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and an adapter circuit board designed by McCracken allowing it to be used with the Apple II. Although at $ 1,000 it was considerably more expensive than the company's other offerings, it proved immensely popular among buyers of the
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microcomputer. As the two began talking about computers during the year, Sugiura became aware of the lack of aftermarket monitors for these early microcomputers. In 1977 or 1978, Sugiura traveled to Taiwan and found a model of
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and computer speakers as well as continuing their computer monitor business. At one point in the early 1980s, according to
Kakehashi, Amdek was so hugely popular in their monitor business that the name became a
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where he helped established the first dealer networks for the IBM PC, was named president of Wyse's Amdek division. Under his auspices he led Amdek to release its first computer systems: a series of
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In the early 1980s, Roland
Corporation's Taiwanese subsidiary acquired a majority stake in Amdek and began selling guitar pedal kits under the Amdek name. Meanwhile the company expanded to
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name in PC monitors. Chances are the monochrome monitors most of us used once carried the Amdek label." In the early 1980s, the company was majority owned by the
293:–based terminal manufacturer, and an unnamed Japanese electronics company were to acquire Amdek, although the company shut down such rumors to the press.
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processors. In 1988, Sparks resigned, citing differences with Wyse's upper management. Michael P. Richman was named as his replacement.
309:. The acquisition terms were later reevaluated to $ 8.5 million in shares. In 1987, H. L. "Sparky" Sparks, formerly of
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812:
642:
I Believe in Music: Life
Experiences and Thoughts on the Future of Electronic Music by the Founder of the Roland Corporation
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in the 1950s after moving to the United States (where he learned
English); worked as a consumer electronics importer in
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650:
305:, a terminal manufacturer in San Jose, California, agreed to acquire Amdek Corporation for $ 7.2 million in a
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75:
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168:'s Taiwanese subsidiary; in 1986, after a brief period of independence, the company was acquired by
221:. Sugiura however explained in 1984 that the name was chosen as a random combination of syllables.
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In 1981, Amdek released their first color computer monitor, based on a chassis manufactured by
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provided no color monitor option. Amdek sold over 600,000 units of the color monitor by 1984.
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201:, Japan) and Ted McCracken. Before starting Amdek, Sugiura had graduated university with a
8:
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The
Computer Entrepreneurs: Who's Making It Big and How in America's Upstart Industry
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172:, a maker of computer terminals, who continued the Amdek brand into at least 1995.
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efficiency standard. Wyse continued to sell Amdek monitors until at least 1995.
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Between then and the mid-1990s, the division lay largely dormant, with
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700:"Amdek Offers Five Modular PC Systems; 2 New Monitors Support IBM VGA"
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437:
625:"Venture Capitalists Press Mergers of Troubled High-Tech Fledglings"
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781:"H.L. Sparks Resigns As President of Wyse; Differences Are Cited"
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who would later overtake Amdek for a time, the name stood for
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693:(5). IDG Publications: 80 – via the Internet Archive.
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122:
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260:, as for the first year and a half of the PC's existence,
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Levering, Robert; Michael Katz; Milton
Moskowitz (1984).
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310:
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he liked; meanwhile McCracken observed an executive of
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Amdek was founded in 1977 by Go
Sugiura (born 1936 in
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710:(22). IDG Publications: 6 – via Google Books.
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787:. Dow Jones & Company: 1 – via ProQuest.
761:. Dow Jones & Company: 1 – via ProQuest.
631:. Dow Jones & Company: 1 – via ProQuest.
561:
537:
213:in 2002, the founder of Japanese instrument maker
768:"Amdek Picks Specialist in PC Field as President"
189:Amber-phosphor Amdek monitor sitting on top of a
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838:Defunct computer companies of the United States
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219:Analog, Music, Digital, Electronics, and Kits
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683:"Amdek Joins the Nineties with New Monitors"
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833:Computer companies disestablished in 1986
823:American companies disestablished in 1986
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16:Computer peripheral company (1977–1986)
828:Computer companies established in 1977
818:American companies established in 1977
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193:MPC 1600 (the first true IBM PC clone)
727:(5). Ziff-Davis: 74 – via Gale.
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843:Defunct computer hardware companies
492:Levering, Katz & Moskowitz 1984
468:Levering, Katz & Moskowitz 1984
456:Levering, Katz & Moskowitz 1984
444:Levering, Katz & Moskowitz 1984
429:Levering, Katz & Moskowitz 1984
402:Levering, Katz & Moskowitz 1984
390:Levering, Katz & Moskowitz 1984
375:Levering, Katz & Moskowitz 1984
13:
848:Defunct computer systems companies
808:1986 disestablishments in Illinois
14:
864:
753:Staff writer (January 29, 1986).
676:– via the Internet Archive.
740:: B1 – via Newspapers.com.
803:1977 establishments in Illinois
779:Staff writer (April 4, 1988).
766:Staff writer (March 5, 1987).
623:Gupta, Udayan (July 2, 1986).
37:Leedex Corporation (1977–1981)
1:
813:1986 mergers and acquisitions
615:
138:
717:"The sharper, cheaper image"
715:Shatz-Akin, Jim (May 1995).
350:
296:
180:
7:
734:"Amdek denies merger talks"
698:Moran, Tom (June 1, 1987).
645:. Hal Leonard Corporation.
113:(as an independent company)
104:; 38 years ago
65:; 47 years ago
10:
869:
774:: D2 – via ProQuest.
480:Kakehashi & Olsen 2002
417:Kakehashi & Olsen 2002
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655:– via Google Books.
160:in 1994, "Amdek was once
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98:
81:
59:
51:
41:
33:
24:
681:Miller, Dan (May 1994).
666:. New American Library.
785:The Wall Street Journal
759:The Wall Street Journal
639:; Robert Olsen (2002).
629:The Wall Street Journal
287:Costa Mesa, California
281:and branch offices in
227:University of Missouri
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191:Columbia Data Products
732:Staff writer (1985).
274:genericized catch-all
258:IBM Personal Computer
203:Bachelor of Economics
188:
494:, p. 306, 311.
458:, pp. 310–311.
392:, pp. 308–309.
377:, pp. 306–308.
279:Elk Grove, Illinois
76:Elk Grove, Illinois
21:
772:The New York Times
637:Kakehashi, Ikutaro
315:IBM PC compatibles
239:with a monochrome
215:Roland Corporation
195:
166:Roland Corporation
152:Leedex Corporation
135:Roland Corporation
19:
853:Computer monitors
755:"Wyse Technology"
580:Staff writer 1988
556:Staff writer 1987
532:Staff writer 1986
520:Staff writer 1985
504:Staff writer 1985
301:In January 1986,
237:computer terminal
211:Ikutaro Kakehashi
148:Amdek Corporation
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20:Amdek Corporation
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245:Apple Computer
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42:Company type
595:Miller 1994
363:Miller 1994
345:Energy Star
797:Categories
616:References
568:Moran 1987
544:Gupta 1986
508:Gupta 1986
307:stock swap
150:(formerly
141:1981–1983)
88:Go Sugiura
747:290873908
704:InfoWorld
351:Citations
297:1986–1995
181:1977–1986
55:Computers
743:ProQuest
687:PC World
335:PC World
269:plotters
232:Apple II
157:PC World
82:Founders
52:Industry
34:Formerly
721:MacUser
253:Hitachi
207:Caracas
176:History
107: (
99:Defunct
68: (
60:Founded
46:Private
745:
670:
649:
285:, and
130:Parent
327:80386
323:80286
199:Osaka
668:ISBN
647:ISBN
339:the
325:and
319:8088
118:Fate
109:1986
102:1986
70:1977
63:1977
343:'s
341:EPA
311:IBM
262:IBM
162:the
74:in
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587:^
436:^
409:^
382:^
321:,
139:c.
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708:9
137:(
111:)
72:)
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