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| Company type | Defunct |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis,Minnesota,U.S. |
Key people | Gregory E. Herrick, Founder and CEO |
| Products | Desktops Notebooks Peripherals |
Zeos International, Ltd. (stylized asZEŌS), was aPC manufacturer based inMinneapolis,Minnesota. Originally based inNew Brighton, Minnesota, and founded by Gregory E. Herrick, the company incorporated in Minnesota in 1981.[1][2] Prior to manufacturing PCs, the company was calledNPC Electronics. NPC was a contract assembly business best known for developing a transmitter device calledRadio Realty. Marketed primarily toreal estate brokers, 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.
The company's first PC related product was thePC Speeder, a device designed to increase the clock speed (and thereby the performance) of the8086 processor. The company then began work engineering a motherboard to retrofit the soon-to-be-introduced Intel386 processor on their existing286 platform.
The company sold its first PC in November 1987 with its first ad inComputer Shopper. Rapid sales and growth led Zeos to becomeFortune's fastest growing public company in America in 1991. Zeos marketed its products primarily through mail order, but also partnered with and distributed PCs toSam's Club stores. Zeos also had two retail outlet stores, located inArden Hills andGolden Valley, Minnesota, where refurbished and customer-returned hardware was resold, often at substantial discounts.
The company went public in mid-1985 by self-underwriting, and officially changed its name from NPC Electronics to ZEOS International. Traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol "ZEOS, the company enjoyed rapid sales and growth leading ZEOS to become Fortune’s fastest growing public company in America in 1991.
Following a tradition set earlier byCP/M manufacturers likeKaypro andMorrow Designs, ZeosbundledLotus 1-2-3 andAmi Pro with its systems while many competitors still included only operating system software, requiring customers to purchase applications separately and elsewhere. This move eventually forced Zeos' rivals such asDell andGateway 2000 to also bundle software with their systems.
In March 1992, Zeos acquired PC Tech, Inc., aLake City, Minnesota–basedODM whom Zeos had earlier contracted to design Zeos' expansion cards and motherboards. This acquisition allowed Zeos to increase itsvertical integration in the manufacturing of its computers.[3][4]
During the peak of its desktop business, Zeos sold386- and486-based systems under the Zeos and Discovery brand names. In the mid-1990s, it soldPentium-based desktops, branded Pantera, andlaptops, branded Freestyle, Meridian, and ColorNote.
Zeos also was successful in the laptop category, introducing three 486SX based laptops before rival Dell came out with their first.[5] The company also marketedsubnotebooks branded Contenda (both386SL-,486SL-based) and Zeos Pocket PC (8086-compatiblepalmtop, using theNEC V30 processor).
The Zeos386SX was once featured on the cover ofPC Magazine, rated as Editor's Choice in its January 30, 1990, issue.
Late generation Zeos motherboards models were code-named with azoological 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.
Among other notable firsts, Zeos was the first computer company to offer24/7toll-freetechnical support.[citation needed]
The company was also first to capitalize one-commerce. Subscribers of theProdigy online service could browse and order Zeos PCs long before theWorld Wide Web had any significant presence.
In later years, the company was first to market pre-configured, ready-to-ship PCs under a campaign called "Computers Now", promising nationwide delivery in under 24 hours. This initiative was successfully achieved throughdirect marketing.
In 1996, Zeos acquired Micron Computer, Inc., and Micron Custom Manufacturing Services, Inc., two business units ofBoise-basedMicron Technologies. Thereverse takeover 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 was sold twice after the original Zeos/Micron transaction, with the final iteration,MPC Corporation, ceasing business operations December 31, 2008.
Manufactured around 1991–1992 and selling for $595, theZeos Pocket PC was apalmtop which ranMS-DOS 5.0 and was broadly similar in form and function to thePoqet PC. The device was also available as Tidalwave PS-1000,Vobis Highscreen Handy Organizer, and Peacock Palmtop PC in other countries.[6]It was bundled withMicrosoft Works andRacePen. Its dimensions were 4.5" × 9.7" × 1.0" and it weighed approximately 1.3 lb (0.59 kg). The 640x200monochromeLCD screen was about 2.75" × 7" and was notbacklit. The keyboard was 9" wide (compared to 11" for a standard keyboard), making typing slightly tedious for many people. The unit featured twoPCMCIA 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 standardAA batteries and one lithium backup battery. It was manufactured inTaiwan and sold by mail-order.
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