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Originally named Haloid and beginning as a manufacturer of photographic paper and equipment, the company came to prominence in the early 1960s with the introduction of the first one-piece, dry-paper photocopier, the Xerox 914 . The company expanded substantially throughout the 1960s, making millionaires of some long-suffering investors who had nursed the company through the slow research and development phase of the product. In many ways, this time resembled the early years of microcomputer giants Apple Computer and Microsoft. Proceeds from the introduction of this new industry allowed the company to open a famous research center, the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center or Xerox PARC.
Xerox shifted its business model in the 1970s and 1980s as patent expiry removed exclusivity from their copier technology, and diversification plans largely did not succeed. Many technologies developed largely by PARC were ignored by Xerox and made their way into other companies' products—for instance, Ethernet, the WIMP interface, and laser printers. Plans to enter the computer market were destroyed by bad timing (for example, releasing an 8-bit CP/M based system, the Xerox 820, just as IBM readied its more advanced PC). Similarly, Xerox developed a line of advanced typewriter1910, could not have seen characters as they were typed. A typewriter is a mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic device with a set of "keys" that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a document, usually paper. In the late 19th and the ss just as the typewriter began to lose out to computer-based word processingWord processing in its now-usual meaning, is the use of a word processor to create documents using computers. Word processing can also refer to advanced shorthand techniques, sometimes used in conjunction with specialised keyboards. In this sense of the t. Meanwhile, the company's manufacturing costs were far in excess of those of their JapanJapan (, Nippon/Nihon literally "the origin of the sun") is a country in East Asia situated on a chain of islands east of the Asian continent on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. The largest of these islands are, from north to south, Hokkaido , Honshese photocopier competitors, its design and manufacturing quality became questionable, and its internal culture had become problematic.
The company was revived in the 1980s and 1990sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s Years: Events and trends Computers, technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other techn, through a massive improvement in quality design and realignment of its product line. Development of "digital photocopiers" in the 1990s and a revamp of the entire product range—essentially high-end laser printers with attached scanners which were able to be attached to computer networks—again gave Xerox a huge technical lead over its competitors. Xerox worked to turn its product into a service, providing a complete "document service" to companies including supply, maintenance, configuration, and user support. However, the company struck trouble in an echo of its earlier difficulties when its competitors caught up and it again lost its technical lead.
Xerox abandoned its slogan, "The Document Company," and sought to reposition itself as a knowledge company. In this spirit, it purchased the printer division of TektronixTektronix is a United States corporation that is currently a major presence in the test, measurement, and measuring industry. It manufacturers oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and both video and mobile test protocol equipment. Tektronix is traded on the Ne in 1999For the album by Prince, see 1999 (album 1999 is a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the UN. Events Kosovo War Former child star Gary Coleman files for bankruptcy Y2K prep. It also markets software such as DocuShare and FlowPort, and offers consulting services.
Recently, Xerox, like Enron, WorldComFor a time, WorldCom (WCOM) was the United States' second largest long distance phone company ( AT&T was the largest). WorldCom grew largely by acquiring other telecommunications companies, most notably MCI. It also owned the Tier 1 ISP UUNET, a major par, Global Crossing, and other major multinational companies, was revealed to have hidden billions of dollars in past losses through creative accounting practices—though unlike those companies it is still operating.