Corona Data Systems

Corona Data Systems
Company type	Private
Industry	Computer hardware
Founded	1981
Founder	Robert Harp, Robert Steven Kramarz
Defunct	1993
Fate	Acquired by Daewoo; brand discontinued
Key people	Daniel R. Carter (CEO from 1982)
Products	Personal computers, external hard drives, interface cards, software, laser printers
Owner	Daewoo Group
Number of employees	280 (1984)
Parent	Daewoo Group

Corona Data Systems, which was later rebranded as Cordata, was an American manufacturer of personal computers and stood among the pioneering producers of IBM PC compatible machines. The bulk of its manufacturing was carried out by South Korea's Daewoo, a company that evolved into a significant investor and ultimately assumed ownership.

History

Established in 1981 by Robert Harp, who previously co-founded Vector Graphic, together with Robert Steven Kramarz—Corona’s initial employee and General Manager—Corona quickly grew under new leadership when Daniel R. Carter took over as CEO in 1982. By 1984, the workforce had expanded to 280 employees. In 1985, Daewoo Group secured a controlling stake through a capital infusion.

Corona’s early offerings consisted of external hard drives branded as Starfire (models Starfire 5 and Starfire 10 with 5MB and 10MB capacities), accompanied by interface cards and software compatible with the Apple II and IBM PC. The first Corona PC appeared on the market in 1983. The company broadened its portfolio to include desktop and portable computers built around Intel’s x86 processors up to the 80386. Additionally, Corona developed the LP300 laser printer and an integrated desktop publishing solution named Intellipress, which came bundled with either Aldus PageMaker or Ventura Publisher. Unlike competing printers from HP and Apple, Corona’s model utilized a raster image processor implemented on a PC interface card that harnessed the host PC’s CPU for image processing tasks, enabling cost savings.

IBM Lawsuit

Corona maintained, "Our systems operate all software adhering to IBM PC programming standards, including the most widely used applications." In early 1984, IBM initiated legal action against Corona and Eagle Computer over alleged copyright infringement concerning the IBM PC BIOS. Corona resolved the dispute by agreeing to stop infringing activities.

Corona PPC-400

Released in 1984, the Corona Portable PC Model PPC-400 was distinguished by its clear and aesthetically pleasing screen fonts. Its desktop equivalent was identified as the PC-400.

Cordata

Following Daewoo's acquisition of a 70% ownership stake in 1986, Corona Data Systems was renamed Cordata to signify diversification efforts and to move away from being perceived solely as a "PC clone" manufacturer. Founder Harp departed in 1987, criticizing Daewoo for reducing the company to essentially a paper entity used for loss write-offs. Despite Daewoo’s $40 million investment since 1985, Cordata reported losses amounting to $20 million the previous year. The Cordata brand was gradually discontinued by Daewoo in 1993.

In Popular Culture

In the television series Halt and Catch Fire, the fictional firm Cardiff Electric’s shift into PC production mirrors the real-life trajectory of Corona Data Systems. Both companies were initiated by a technical founder (Harp) alongside a marketing partner (Kramarz), designed portable IBM PC-compatible machines, and eventually sold majority ownership to large conglomerates (Daewoo). However, unlike Cardiff Electric and Compaq, Corona chose to settle IBM’s copyright claims rather than pursue development of clean room BIOS alternatives.

Competitors

Among the early manufacturers of IBM PC compatible systems were:

Compaq Portable
Columbia Data Products
Eagle Computer
IBM Personal Computer
Seequa Chameleon
Hyperion (computer)
Kaypro

External links

Daewoo Electronics