Classification: / Company Info,
Info: In the early 60's, ELCOMA (the PHILIPS components divsion) spread an 'Application note' how to design an electronic calculator with their memory stacks, 'building blocks' and nixie tubes.
PHILIPS also published some literature about electronic calculators (00). But in these years PHILIPS did have a shortage on production capacity, there was little need to introduce new products.
On 19-feb-1963 PHILIPS did set up N.V. Philips Computer Industrie. In 1965, PHILIPS bought SIEMAG, situated in a village called "Eiserfeld" which belongs to Siegen (Germany).
Untill then, SIEMAG built Type Writers, calculators and also computers, from then on they would also design and produce the PHILIPS P-series calculators.
Although there's little info on earlier models, the P250 was probably the first production model, containing only discreet components like transistors and diodes.
Later the P249, P251 and P252 were added to the P-series, these models did possess Integrated Circuits (ICs) and were equiped with a very unique Printing system, one of the first known dot-matrix concepts (08).
In the late 60's, PHILIPS did buy ELECTROLOGICA (07), a company which was situated in Den Haag, the Netherlands, and was owned by a Dutch 'assurance'-company NILLMIJ
Later on PHILIPS did integrate ELECTROLOGICA in PHILIPS-ELECTROLOGICA.
On 04-oct-1967, the first P1100 computer was hand over to the prototype test group. On 20-may-1968, a first contract between PHILIPS and the government was signed to deliver computer systems to administrate giro cheques.
In 1974, PHILIPS bought television maker MAGNAVOX for 168,000M$.
In 1981, PHILIPS bought the television division of the GENERAL TELEPHONE & ELECTRONICS Company, (including Brands like SYLVANIA and PHILCO) for 117,000M$, with the intention to double their US Television share up to 15%.
In 1983, PHILIPS bought the light divison from WESTINGHOUSE.
Begin 1993, PHILIPS bought chip producent SIGNETICS.