Send in the Clones

John TYLER

Yes, all the computers had the smiling icon on the startup screen, the familiar chime, and the omnipresent menu selection sitting atop a desktop metaphor. But the cases were emblazoned not with apple icons, but with numbers and letters! What was GX1-80 and LX200? Was something strange going on at Apple Japan?

The clone makers

No. This was, of course, Japan's introduction to Macintosh clones. In May 1995, Pioneer became the first company to make and market a PCI-based Mac clone in Japan, launching four models (the two mentioned above, plus the GX1 and LX100).

Since then, though, few others have stepped up to the plate. Reading US magazines and newspapers, one would think the world's SOHO (small-office/home-office) desktop market was being swamped with clones. Power Computing began selling its PowerPC clones back in September 1995. Umax of Taiwan markets the SuperMac series. Daystar Digital sells the high-end GenesisMP line. And Radius, too, was for a while in the high-performance Mac clone market.

Motorola will ship the first of its clones, based on Apple and Motorola's joint Tanzania design. And APS, the hard disk manufacturer, has announced that it will begin selling its own computers, also based on Motorola's design. But where is the clone activity in Japan?

No one can deny that there is a corporate presence here. Whether there is much more than that, though, is open to debate. It is painfully obvious that -- regardless of how much "we're here, too" posturing exists -- few non-Apple models of MacOS machines grace store shelves in Japan.

Motorola announced, in September 1996, that it has entered a distribution agreement with Mitsubishi Corporation. "Availability of these new [MacOS] systems is expected later this year in the United States and Japan," claims the popular press. Mitsubishi, however, did not respond to my request for confirmation of a shipping date.

Marubeni Corporation, meanwhile, has signed an agreement with Daystar to distribute that company's GenesisMP line of accelerated Mac clones -- though these models, too, are still no-shows on the store shelves. And Power Computing, the granddaddy of the Mac clone makers, has just introduced some pages in Japanese on its website, and promises to be here... soon.

Panasonic, then, appears to be the only manufacturer/distributor with any shop-level presence. Mail order, however, offers several options. You can order models from Pioneer, Umax, and Daystar Digital. (Motorola ads have appeared in several magazines, but as of this writing vendors have none in stock.)

A newcomer

"Japanese corporations take a long time to resolve new issues internally," observes Masa Ando, senior manager of marketing communications for Akia Corporation. "Their decision-making takes too long, especially when negotiating with companies like IBM and Apple."

Akia hopes to be the Japanese company to cut that lag time. Formed just last year by Katsumi Iizuka, former president of Dell Computer Japan, Akia is looking to increase its product line by committing to introduce its first Mac clone into Japan this month (January 1997). The MacOS line of models will complement Akia's IBM-compatible laptops and its line of LCD monitors.

"We will initially focus on high-end, desktop users," says Ando, who would not comment on how fast the initial processor will be. He notes that Akia is the first company to sign a MacOS licensing agreement with IBM, thus ensuring a steady supply of PowerPC chips for its manufacturing sites in Taiwan. Road warriors, too, have reason to be hopeful, since this young company also plans to release a MacOS portable in Japan by June 1997.

"The Mac market has little competition," Ando says. "If we bring out a product with a strong cost/performance ratio, how can it not succeed?"

Customer loyalty

The Mac market has a dedicated following, leading to the safe assumption that market share will not move too far one way or the other from its present 10%. And with Dataquest estimating that the total number of PCs shipped in Japan will increase to 15 million by 1999, the number of Macs (and Mac clones) being manufactured and sold will be that much higher. Not much competition... guaranteed market share... steadily increasing unit sales.... Hmmm.

Akia has obviously thought through its product strategy well, and appears to be implementing it quickly. Is this the future of Japanese computer companies? We can only hope so. For wouldn't we users in Japan like to benefit, as our US counterparts do, from the fruits of market competition: lower prices, higher performance, better service, and buyer incentive software bundles?

Of course we would. And soon.