Apricot Computers
Apricot Computers was a British business-computer manufacturer whose distinctive desktop, portable, workstation and server systems were especially successful in Europe during the 1980s.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Apricot Computers was the principal computer brand of the British company originally established as Applied Computer Techniques Ltd. (ACT) in 1965. ACT began as a business time-sharing service bureau and later expanded into office-equipment resale, minicomputer leasing and telecommunications services. It entered the microcomputer market in 1980 and developed into one of the United Kingdom’s most technically ambitious personal-computer manufacturers. The brand’s strongest period was the 1980s. Its distribution agreement for the Victor 9000 brought the system to Britain and continental Europe as the ACT Sirius 1. The Sirius 1 became one of Europe’s most successful 16-bit business computers for a period, benefiting from its arrival before IBM had fully established its PC in several European markets. ACT subsequently developed its own Apricot-branded machines, including the Apricot PC, PC Xi, F1 series and Apricot Portable. These products targeted offices, small businesses, education and professional users rather than the consumer market alone. Apricot differentiated itself through industrial design and system engineering. Several machines used 3.5-inch floppy disks before that format became standard, while the F-series introduced infrared keyboards and pointing devices, built-in displays on selected keyboards, integrated software environments and unusual transportable designs. The company maintained substantial engineering and manufacturing capabilities in the United Kingdom, including custom BIOS and system-level development, motherboard production processes, metalwork and radio-frequency testing. This vertically integrated approach enabled distinctive and technically advanced products, but it also increased costs and sometimes left Apricot’s systems less compatible with the rapidly consolidating IBM PC ecosystem. The company’s transition toward IBM-compatible computers began with the 1986 Xen-i, following the non-compatible XEN. Apricot also expanded into UNIX systems, multiprocessor systems, network workstations and high-availability servers. Its VX FT server line was promoted as an advanced fault-tolerant system and was associated with early use of Intel’s 80486 processor technology. In 1990 the company acquired Information Technology Limited and changed its corporate name back to ACT. In the same year, Mitsubishi Electric acquired ACT’s computer-manufacturing business, while ACT retained its software activities. Under Mitsubishi ownership, Apricot continued producing conventional PCs, servers and network-oriented systems, but it struggled against larger international manufacturers and the lower-cost Asian original-design-manufacturer model. Mitsubishi closed the business and sold its remaining assets in 1999. A management buyout created Network Si UK Ltd., and a separate independent Apricot company was launched in the United Kingdom in 2008; these later developments did not restore Apricot to its former position as a major mainstream computer brand. The original company is generally treated as having been active from 1965 to 2005, with its principal commercial significance concentrated in the British and European computer markets of the 1980s.
History
Applied Computer Techniques Ltd. was founded in the United Kingdom in 1965 as a business time-sharing service bureau. During the 1970s it broadened its activities to include office-equipment resale, turnkey minicomputer leasing and telecommunications services such as electronic mail. This background gave ACT experience in supplying complete business systems before the personal-computer market became established. ACT entered microcomputing in 1980 with the ACT-800, a system marketed in Britain after having been developed and sold in the United States as the Computhink Minimax. The company’s next major step came in 1982, when it agreed to distribute the Victor 9000 as the ACT Sirius 1 in the United Kingdom and Europe. The Sirius 1 supported CP/M-86 and MS-DOS but was not hardware-compatible with the IBM PC. It nevertheless became, for a time, the most popular 16-bit business computer in Europe, particularly in Britain and Germany. The success of the Sirius 1 encouraged ACT to develop its own Apricot systems. The Apricot PC appeared in 1983 with an Intel 8086 processor, dual 3.5-inch floppy drives and an 800-by-400-pixel display intended to preserve software continuity with the Sirius 1. Its keyboard included programmable touch-sensitive keys and a two-line LCD known as the Microscreen. A hard-disk version, the Apricot PC Xi, followed. The design combined portability features, integrated software and unusual hardware capabilities, including a sound generator that was not fully exploited by the supplied BASIC implementation. In 1984 the company introduced the Apricot F1 and Apricot Portable. The F1 targeted the budget business market and included the Activity graphical front end, bundled applications and an infrared keyboard. The portable model offered an LCD display, infrared keyboard and mouse or trackball, and voice-related functionality. ACT also founded Apricot, Inc. in California to support US marketing. In 1985 the company formally changed its name to Apricot Computers and expanded the F-series with the F1e, F2 and F10. These machines continued Apricot’s emphasis on integrated design, but the company’s proprietary display and compatibility choices limited software portability and market reach. The XEN, released in 1985, was the last Apricot computer not to be IBM-compatible. Its successor, the Xen-i, introduced a more conventional compatibility strategy in 1986. Apricot also pursued higher-end systems, acquiring rights to assemble Sequent’s 80386 Symmetry multiprocessor UNIX systems in 1987. In 1989 the VX FT line attracted attention as an advanced fault-tolerant server family using Micro Channel Architecture, external memory cache and an integrated UPS. Apricot operated a major manufacturing facility in Glenrothes, Scotland, while its Birmingham research and development centre supported custom BIOS work, system programming, motherboard processes, metal fabrication and testing. In January 1990 Apricot acquired Information Technology Limited, a developer of UNIX systems, and changed its name back to ACT. That April, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation acquired the Apricot computer-manufacturing business, with ACT retaining software activities. Mitsubishi expected the purchase to strengthen its ability to compete with Japanese PC manufacturers, but Apricot faced an increasingly standardised and cost-sensitive market. Larger manufacturers were increasingly using lower-cost Asian original-design manufacturers, while Apricot continued to bear the expense of substantial in-house design and manufacturing. Apricot continued to produce PCs, network workstations, diskless systems and high-availability servers under Mitsubishi ownership, but it did not regain its earlier market position. Mitsubishi closed the company and sold the remaining assets in 1999. A management buyout subsequently created Network Si UK Ltd. A separate independent Apricot company was launched in the United Kingdom in 2008, but the original Apricot operation is generally described as active from 1965 to 2005 and is no longer a mainstream computer brand.
- 2008
Independent Apricot company is launched
[1]A separate independent Apricot company is launched in the United Kingdom; it is distinct from the original operation.
- 1999
Remaining assets are sold
[1]Mitsubishi closes the business and sells its final assets.
- 1990
Mitsubishi Electric acquires the manufacturing business
[1]Mitsubishi Electric purchases Apricot’s computer-manufacturing operation, while ACT retains its software business.
- 1989
VX FT server line gains attention
[1]Apricot promotes the VX FT as an advanced fault-tolerant server family using Micro Channel Architecture and an integrated UPS.
- 1987
Apricot enters multiprocessor UNIX systems
[1]Apricot acquires rights to assemble Sequent 80386 Symmetry UNIX systems in the United Kingdom.
- 1986
Xen-i begins IBM-compatible transition
[1]The Xen-i becomes Apricot’s first IBM-compatible computer after the proprietary XEN.
- 1985
ACT adopts the Apricot Computers name
[1]The company changes its name to Apricot Computers and develops the F-series, including the F1e, F2 and F10.
- 1984
F1, PC Xi and Apricot Portable expand the range
[1]Apricot adds a hard-disk PC Xi, the F1 business computer and the Apricot Portable, while establishing a US subsidiary.
- 1983
Apricot PC is introduced
[1]The company launches the Apricot PC, combining an Intel 8086 processor, high-resolution graphics, 3.5-inch floppy drives and the Microscreen keyboard.
- 1982
ACT Sirius 1 launches in Europe
[1]ACT begins distributing the Victor 9000 as the ACT Sirius 1 in Britain and Europe; it becomes a leading European 16-bit business computer for a period.
Products and positioning
An engineering-led British computer brand for business, education, professional and government users, distinguished by advanced system integration, distinctive industrial design and selected non-standard technical features.
Microcomputer · 1980
ACT-800
Introduced in 1980, the ACT-800 was ACT’s entry into microcomputing. It was based on the Computhink Minimax and used a 6502-family architecture with additional user-definable instructions configured to support the FIFTH programming language. ACT marketed the system in the United Kingdom for business and technical users.
Business personal computer · 1982
ACT Sirius 1
The ACT Sirius 1 was ACT’s European version of the Victor 9000. It supported CP/M-86 and MS-DOS and achieved strong commercial adoption in Britain, Germany and other European markets. Although it was not hardware-compatible with the IBM PC, it became one of Europe’s best-known 16-bit business computers during the early 1980s.
Desktop personal computer · 1983
Apricot PC and PC Xi
The Apricot PC used an Intel 8086 processor and prioritised compatibility with the Sirius 1 rather than IBM PC hardware compatibility. Its 800-by-400 display, dual 3.5-inch floppy drives, integrated carrying handle and Microscreen keyboard made it distinctive. The PC Xi added a built-in 10 MB hard disk and retained the family’s business-oriented software and design emphasis.
Business personal computer · 1984
Apricot F series
The F series included the F1, lower-cost F1e, dual-floppy F2 and hard-disk F10. The systems used infrared keyboards and pointing devices, graphical software environments and bundled office applications. The F1 was aimed at budget business computing, while later models moved toward GEM and greater alignment with mainstream PC applications.
Portable computer · 1984
Apricot Portable
The Apricot Portable was a transportable business computer with a 4.77 MHz processor, a 640-by-200 LCD display, infrared keyboard and mouse or trackball, and voice-system features. Its design reflected Apricot’s preference for integrated and unconventional form factors rather than standardized beige-box construction.
Desktop personal computer · 1985
XEN and Xen-i
The XEN was a 286-based computer designed to compete with the IBM AT but remained non-compatible with IBM PC hardware. The 1986 Xen-i was its successor and became Apricot’s first IBM-compatible system, marking a strategic shift toward the standards increasingly governing the personal-computer market.
Fault-tolerant server · 1989
VX FT
The VX FT was an advanced server family built around Micro Channel Architecture, external RAM cache and an integrated uninterruptible power supply. It was designed for high availability and included Series 400 and Series 800 variants. The line was associated with early Intel 80486-based systems and demonstrated Apricot’s strength in technically ambitious enterprise hardware.
Network and high-availability systems
Shogun and LANStation
Apricot’s later portfolio included Shogun high-availability servers, low-profile LANStation network PCs and diskless workstations that booted across office networks. These products addressed enterprise infrastructure and network deployment rather than the company’s earlier focus on distinctive standalone personal computers.
Brand decisions
1990
Sale of the computer-manufacturing business to Mitsubishi ElectricM&ABackground
Apricot remained technically innovative but faced escalating international competition and cost pressure in PC manufacturing.
Action taken
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation acquired Apricot’s computer-manufacturing business, while ACT retained the software side.
Aftermath
Mitsubishi continued the business for several years, but the operation was ultimately closed and its remaining assets were sold in 1999.
1990
Return to the ACT corporate nameStrategyBackground
Following the acquisition of Information Technology Limited, the company broadened its activities in UNIX and related systems.
Action taken
Apricot changed its corporate name back to Applied Computer Techniques, or ACT.
Aftermath
The Apricot name remained associated with the computer products, while the software business continued under ACT.
1986
Shift toward IBM PC compatibilityStrategyBackground
Apricot’s earlier systems used proprietary hardware and display choices, while the IBM-compatible ecosystem was becoming the dominant basis for business software and purchasing decisions.
Action taken
The company introduced the Xen-i as its first IBM-compatible computer after releasing the non-compatible XEN.
Aftermath
The move improved alignment with the market, but Apricot continued facing strong competition from larger manufacturers and standardized low-cost systems.
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