
The Clone Quandary
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updates. The update following System 7.6 was code-named Tempo and
was expected to be called System 7.7 when released in July 1997. But if it
were called Mac OS 8 instead, Apple could legally renegotiate the clone
contracts for more favorable terms, and that’s exactly what it set out to do.
The clone community leaked word of the tactic to the press in hopes of
fostering a public outcry but eventually was willing to compromise to keep
the business functioning.
In November 1996, Power Computing hired Joel J. Kocher as president
and COO. Kocher had overseen Dell Computer’s phenomenal growth in
the early 1990s, and Kahng hoped ...