AST Research
Encyclopedia
AST Research, Inc. was a personal computer
manufacturer, founded in Irvine
, California
in 1980 by Albert Wong, Safi Qureshey
and Thomas Yuen. (The name comes from the initials of their first names.) AST's original business was the manufacture and marketing of a broad range of microcomputer expansion cards, later focusing on higher-density replacements for IBM
's standard I/O cards in the IBM PC
. A typical AST multifunction card of the mid-1980s would have an RS-232
serial port, a parallel printer port, a battery-backed clock/calendar (the original IBM PC did not have one), a game port, and 384 KB of DRAM
(added to the 256 KB on the motherboard to reach the full complement of 640 KB) - marketed under the product name 'Six Pack'.
AST Research also produced the Mac286
, a pair of NuBus
cards containing an Intel 80286 and RAM, allowing a Macintosh
to run MS-DOS
side by side with its existing operating system. These cards were announced March 1987 alongside Apple's Macintosh II line (AKA, the 'Open Mac'). The product line was eventually sold to Orange Micro
, who developed the concept further.
As PC
manufacturers improved the integration of peripheral controllers on their motherboard
s, AST's original business began to dry up, and the company developed its own line of PCs, for the desktop
, mobile
, and server
markets.
AST was one of the members of the Gang of Nine which developed the EISA
bus.
In 1992 AST became a Fortune 500
company at place 431.
AST computer's reliability was considered close to that of quality leaders Compaq, Gateway
, and IBM
. AST managed to gain a decent market share of the PC market, however, it never came close to overtaking Compaq
and Dell
.
The failure of AST to recognize the movement towards the commoditization of the PC contributed to its downturn. AST insisted on developing and using its own components in the PC's it produced, instead of those of specialized OEM's. One often used saying at AST, in an attempt to dismiss competitors who did so was, "the best technology they have (i.e. Dell
, Compaq
, etc.) is a screwdriver."
AST Research was acquired by Samsung
on August 11, 1996. In January 1999, the name and intellectual property
were acquired by a new company named AST Computers, LLC.
AST sponsored the English
football club Aston Villa
from 1995 to 1998.
, founder of Packard Bell
Electronics, bought the name and intellectual property
of AST Research, Inc.
AST Computers disappeared from the market in 2001.
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
manufacturer, founded in Irvine
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1980 by Albert Wong, Safi Qureshey
Safi Qureshey
Safi Qureshey is a Pakistani-American entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and former CEO of AST Research, Inc., a personal computer manufacturer acquired by Samsung Electronics in 1997. He is currently CEO of wireless video technology company Quartics and is involved with several...
and Thomas Yuen. (The name comes from the initials of their first names.) AST's original business was the manufacture and marketing of a broad range of microcomputer expansion cards, later focusing on higher-density replacements for IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's standard I/O cards in the IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
. A typical AST multifunction card of the mid-1980s would have an RS-232
RS-232
In telecommunications, RS-232 is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
serial port, a parallel printer port, a battery-backed clock/calendar (the original IBM PC did not have one), a game port, and 384 KB of DRAM
Dram
Dram or DRAM may refer to:As a unit of measure:* Dram , an imperial unit of mass and volume* Armenian dram, a monetary unit* Dirham, a unit of currency in several Arab nationsOther uses:...
(added to the 256 KB on the motherboard to reach the full complement of 640 KB) - marketed under the product name 'Six Pack'.
AST Research also produced the Mac286
Mac286
The Mac286 was a Intel 80286-based MS-DOS coprocessor expansion card for one of Apple Computer's first expandable Macintosh computers, the 1987 Macintosh II. It was developed by AST Research in an effort to close the gap between the Macintosh and IBM PC computing worlds...
, a pair of NuBus
NuBus
NuBus is a 32-bit parallel computer bus, originally developed at MIT as a part of the NuMachine workstation project. The first complete implementation of the NuBus and the NuMachine was done by Western Digital for their NuMachine, and for the Lisp Machines Inc. LMI-Lambda. The NuBus was later...
cards containing an Intel 80286 and RAM, allowing a Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
to run 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...
side by side with its existing operating system. These cards were announced March 1987 alongside Apple's Macintosh II line (AKA, the 'Open Mac'). The product line was eventually sold to Orange Micro
Orange Micro
Orange Micro Inc. is a now-defunct computer hardware company which made products for use with Apple computers. The company made a variety of products for many machines, ranging from the Apple II series to the Macintosh line, but is perhaps best known for making PC compatibility cards for the...
, who developed the concept further.
As PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
manufacturers improved the integration of peripheral controllers on their motherboard
Motherboard
In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...
s, AST's original business began to dry up, and the company developed its own line of PCs, for the desktop
Desktop computer
A desktop computer is a personal computer in a form intended for regular use at a single location, as opposed to a mobile laptop or portable computer. Early desktop computers are designed to lay flat on the desk, while modern towers stand upright...
, mobile
Mobile computing
Mobile computing is a form of human–computer interaction by which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage. Mobile computing has three aspects: mobile communication, mobile hardware, and mobile software...
, and server
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
markets.
AST was one of the members of the Gang of Nine which developed the EISA
Extended Industry Standard Architecture
The Extended Industry Standard Architecture is a bus standard for IBM PC compatible computers...
bus.
In 1992 AST became a Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
company at place 431.
AST computer's reliability was considered close to that of quality leaders Compaq, Gateway
Gateway, Inc.
Gateway Computer Corporation, is a computer hardware company headquartered in Irvine, California, USA which develops, manufactures, supports, and markets a wide range of personal computers, computer monitors, servers, and computer accessories...
, and IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. AST managed to gain a decent market share of the PC market, however, it never came close to overtaking Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
and Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
.
The failure of AST to recognize the movement towards the commoditization of the PC contributed to its downturn. AST insisted on developing and using its own components in the PC's it produced, instead of those of specialized OEM's. One often used saying at AST, in an attempt to dismiss competitors who did so was, "the best technology they have (i.e. Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
, Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
, etc.) is a screwdriver."
AST Research was acquired by Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
on August 11, 1996. In January 1999, the name and intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
were acquired by a new company named AST Computers, LLC.
AST sponsored the English
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
football club Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
from 1995 to 1998.
AST Computers, LLC
AST Computers, LLC was a private company founded in 1999 when Beny AlagemBeny Alagem
Beny Alagem is an Israeli American entrepreneur, developer, and the founder of Packard Bell Electronics, a leading American computer manufacturer during the late 1980s and early 1990s....
, founder of Packard Bell
Packard Bell
Packard Bell is a Dutch computer manufacturer and a subsidiary of Acer. The name was previously used by Packard Bell, an American radio manufacturer founded in 1926. In 1986, Israeli investors bought the name for a newly formed personal computer manufacturer. Originally the company produced...
Electronics, bought the name and intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
of AST Research, Inc.
AST Computers disappeared from the market in 2001.