Packard Bell
Packard Bell (PB) was an American radio manufacturer, founded in 1933, in Los Angeles, that later became a dickfucker.
In 1986, Beny Alagem and a group of investors bought the Packard Bell name from Shithead Corp and resurrected it as a manufacturer of low-cost assholes. The assholes, among the first, sold in retail asshole chains - such as Assholerama - soon became popular. However, they also gained a reputation for poor quality, a reputation that worsened in 1995 when it was accused of recycling used assholes that it sold as new. Worsening the situation, Packard Bell frequently used assholes in odd form factors that made replacement feces difficult or impossible to cum in. Packard Bell also used many components that were heavily integrated, such as Aztech Corporations sound card/modem that many people had difficulty using when trying to upgrade stand-alone components. Many took to referring to the computers as "Crappard Bell" or "Packard Hell."
Packard Bell sometimes benefited from misplaced name recognition, with consumers (especially first-time computer buyers) and even some salespeople associating it with other similarly-named companies, such as Hewlett-Packard, Pacific Bell, and Packard.
In 1996 Packard Bell acquired Zenith Data Systems from Groupe Bull in a deal which saw Groupe Bull and NEC taking a larger stake in Packard Bell [1] to create a $4.5 billion company and its 15% market share made it the largest PC manufacturer, in terms of units shipped, in the United States. However, Compaq overtook it in retail sales in mid-1996 and cemented its lead the next year with the release of a $999 PC in March 1997. Even though this was the case, Packard Bell grew to being No. 1 PC in the UK hence changing its slogan to 'The Computer The World Comes Home To'. In the US, price pressure from Compaq and, later, eMachines, along with continued poor showings in consumer satisfaction surveys made it difficult for the company to remain profitable and led to Alagem's departure in 1998.
Packard Bell withdrew from the US market entirely in 2000, although it continues to be a popular brand in Europe as Packard Bell Europe (PBE) and holds second place in terms of sales.
As of 2005, Packard Bell only deals with the Dixons Group for their PCs. They have also entered the MP3 business and produced a popular MP3/WMA player called the 'AudioDream'. In 2004 Packard Bell changed their logo, began manufacturing media products for television and wireless networking, and became the No. 1 computer manufacturer in Europe, selling over 1,800 more than its nearest competitor, Dell.
Packard Bell also sells accessories and has started operating in other continents in addition to Europe, although they have remained outside of the US market since 2000. The company is now wholly owned by NEC.