APF Electronics Inc.was apublicly traded companyin theUnited Statesdedicated to consumer electronics. The company's name comes from the initials of the two brothers who founded the company,Al &PhilFriedman.[1]
 | |
| Industry | Consumer electronics,video games |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Queens, NY |
Key people | Al Friedman, Phil Friedman, Ed Smith, Steve Lipper, Harry Cox, Howard Boylen, Kenny Boylen |
History
editThe company was founded to import stereos from Japan to the U.S., specificallyquadraphonicsets and8-track player.They moved into calculators.[2]
APF had locations inQueens, NYwhere they were headquartered, and inHong Kong,where they owned a factory. In all, APF employed 300 people.[2]
Products
edit
APF marketed calculators in the early 1970s. Models such as the Mark III and Mark V hadLEDdisplays and used C batteries.[3]
APF TV Funwas a series of classicfirst generation video game consoles.It is one of the first system based on the commonAY-3-8500chipset fromGeneral Instrument.There are TV Fun Model 401A and TV Fun Sportsarama. The series was first available in 1976.[4]
APF-MP1000,also called M-1000, was asecond generation video game consolereleased in 1978 at a price of $130 (~$607.00 in 2023).[5]Twelve cartridges were released in addition to the built-in gameRocket Patrol.
APF PeCos One was a computer system released in 1978.[6]The name stood for "Personal Computing System." It came equipped with two built-intape drives[7]and a monitor. Instead of usingBASICit used a proprietary language called PeCos 1,[8]which was a version ofJOSS.[9]
APF Imagination Machinewas a computer module released in 1979 for $599 (~$2,515 in 2023). When combined with the M-1000 console it became a computer. The module addedRAM,BASIC, a 53-key typewriter keyboard, and a dual-track cassette tape deck with 1500baudrate for digitally recorded tape programs. The specifications were the result ofreverse engineeringseveral popular computers at the time.[2]
APF Mathemagician is a tabletop handheldcalculator gamereleased in 1980. By itself, it's a math learning tool and standard calculator, but it has 6 different overlays that convert it into one of several games.[10]
APF Imagination Machine II was a computer-video game console hybrid that was in the final development stages around 1983. It was more powerful and was an all-in-one unit. The project was cancelled. It is unknown if any prototypes exist.[2]
Bankruptcy
editThevideo game crash of 1983caused the APF Imagination Machine II project to be cancelled and APF, by then a publicly traded company, filed for bankruptcy.[2]
References
edit- ^"APF Electronics Inc".Old Apps.oldapps.com.RetrievedJanuary 29,2014.
- ^abcde"APF Page".Archived fromthe originalon November 7, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 29,2014.
- ^"APF".Vintage Calculators Web Museum.vintagecalculators.com.RetrievedJanuary 29,2014.
- ^"Museum of Video Games - APF Electronics Inc".Museum of Video Games.MoVG. Archived fromthe originalon July 5, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 29,2014.
- ^"Tag Archives: APF Electronic Inc".Gamester81.RetrievedJanuary 29,2014.
- ^PeCos One.computerhistory.org. 1978.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^"Company Profile: APF Electronics Inc. (New York, N.Y.)".Classic Tech: Vintage computers and related technology.Archived fromthe originalon February 21, 2014.
- ^Loguidice, Bill."Home Computer Designations of the Late 1970s: A Feature Article".Armchair Arcade.Archived fromthe originalon February 19, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 29,2014.
- ^Edwards, -Benj (February 9, 2016)."Ed Smith and the Imagination Machine".Fast Company.
- ^"APF Mathemagician".Handheld Museum.RetrievedJanuary 31,2014.