Computer Memory

The company known as Olivetti began operating back in 1908 and was solely concerned with the production of typewriters and was the brainchild of Italian pair Camillo Olivetti and Gino Levi Martinoli. After its inception, the main running of the company fell to Olivetti’s son, Adriano.

Olivetti Inc launched its international operation in 1930 and it opened its very first overseas production facility in the same year. One of its first electronic breakthroughs was the Divisumma Electric calculator, which it launched almost 20 years later in 1948.

First Italian Computer
The first computer of note to exist in Italy, was the Olivetti Elea 9003, created in 1959 and manufactured using a transistor array. Not long after that, the company bought the Underwood Typewriter Company.

In 1964, the electronics division of Olivetti was sold off to the US giant General Electric (GE), but it carried on producing its own computer products. These included the Programma 101 (the first commercially available home computer) and a host of other notable models during the 1980s.

The Dragon computer was one of those models and it was released during a time when Olivetti was experiencing a meteoric rise in the industry. It became the largest office machine manufacturer in Europe and the 2nd largest PC supplier in Europe, second only to IBM.

Moving forward to the mid 50s, the company was responsible for some of the very first mainframe computer systems using transistors, like the Elea 9003. This model and the much more diminutive 6001 enjoyed some success in the computer lease market, however, poor sales led to the company withdrawing from the sector in ‘64.

The Programma 101
The Olivetti Programma 101, released in 1965, (mentioned earlier) is regarded as the world’s first commercially available desktop PC, a prototype model of which currently resides in the National Science Museum in Milan. The model would have been owned by GE after it acquired the electronics arm of Olivetti, but for a last minute change in category from calculator to computer.

Acorn Computers
By the mid 80s, the company continued to jostle for position in the burgeoning computer market, as it purchased the majority share in british computer firm, Acorn Computers.

1987 witnessed the rise of the LSX line, which used the Motorola 68k processor as a template. These computers could run both MOS and Unix.

Just 10 years had passed when Olivetti ceased production, having tried to save itself at the eleventh hour by launching the ‘Envision’, the first ‘Multimedia’ home computer. The world it seems wasn’t quite ready for it and it was a commercial failure. This resulted in it selling its PC arm lock stock and barrel in 1997.

The company known as Maingear Inc is a US-based privately owned ‘boutique’ producer of computer hardware, with its base of operations in Kenilworth, New Jersey. The firm is primarily concerned with gaming computers, workstations, custom laptops and custom desktop PCs which they design, build and support for the US domestic market.

Company History
This relatively young enterprise began back in 2002, started by the company’s current CEO, Wallace Santos. He targeted the luxury end of the market with a particular emphasis on high end customer service on high end products - an ethos that they maintain to this day.

The company is known to have set the standard in the industry when it comes to customer service. 3rd party review institutions of good standing regularly report an agreement that Maingear deliver on this promise, which is largely due to the fact that when you call Maingear, you talk directly to one of their trained technicians, who are able to assist with all manner of system issues.

Quality Craftsmanship
Without wanting to sound like we’re actively selling the company, it must be noted that Maingear have a proud reputation in the US, which is backed up by popular opinion on the subject. They build machines from the ground up, assembling, configuring and customizing their hardware with a number of premier features:

• Water Cooling
• Custom Wiring
• Custom Paint Jobs

They take an holistic approach to their efforts in research and development, as they ensure that the teams creating each of their component lines collaborate to ensure optimum compatibility. Their reputation in the industry has seen them partner with companies like Coca-Cola in the past, offering an insight into their perceived standing.

Collaborations
Maingear have had a number of working collaborations with major companies, like they had with Hewlett Packard, as they conspired to create the Omen X desktop PC. The association the company has with Coca Cola has seen them play a major part in their E-Sports Gaming Division.

Another partnership in 2016 saw Maingear jointly produce the R1 Razer Edition - a real top end customized gaming PC. The other half of the pair was the company that gave its name to the product, Razer Incorporated.

Wallace
The man behind the brand was jointly passionate about PC manufacturing and racing cars. His passion led him to create machines for close friends, which gave him the inspiration to do the same on a large scale commercial level. His interest in car racing can definitely be seen to have influenced the style of the desktop casing, which is adorned with green neon lights.

Very fast and furious!