The legendary Amstrad name has been revived by Lord Alan Sugar, but it sadly won't be adorning any home computers. Instead, Sugar has announced that the new-formed Amstrad Digital will be a "performance marketing agency".
Established in the UK in 1968, Amstrad (Alan Micheal Sugar TRADing) would initially deal with AV equipment before moving into the world of home computers in the 1980s. Its first computer was the Amstrad CPC, and Sugar would later purchase Sinclar and add the Spectrum to Amstrad's lineup.
As well as creating the CPC, Amstrad also produced the ill-fated GX4000 home console, which was designed to go head-to-head with Sega and Nintendo. It failed.
During the 2000s, Amstrad transitioned away from computers towards the comms market, and would be the main manufacturer of set-top boxes for Sky TV in the days before online streaming was the norm.
In 2007, British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) announced a takeover of Amstrad for £125m, and the Amstrad name vanished from the Stock Exchange the following year.
Sugar has revealed that he has purchased the rights to the Amstrad name and has launched a new website for the company, which will be overseen by Tom D’Arcy and Joe Baron.