Established in 1961 in Silicon Valley, Memorex is today a consumer electronics brand of Imation specializing in recordable media(CD & DVD Drives), travel drives, flash storage, computer accessories and other electronics. Memorex entered the consumer business in 1971 first with its "shattering glass" advertisements and then with a series of famous commercials featuring Ella Fitzgerald. In the commercials she would sing a note that shattered a glass while being recorded to a Memorex cassette tape. The tape was played back and the recording also broke the glass, asking "Is it live, or is it Memorex?"

Memorex started by first selling computer and video tapes, then added other media (e.g. disk packs) and then added peripheral equipment for IBM mainframes. During the 1970's and into the 1980's Memorex was worldwide a leading independent supplier of disk drives and communication controllers to users of IBM compatible mainframes as well as a leading computer and consumer media supplier.

Memorex's peripheral equipment businesses missed the transition from mainframes to servers and/or pc's so in the 1980's Memorex was dismembered by its then owners, first Burroughs and then Unisys.

Memorex Telex N.V., a Netherlands corporation, survived as an entity of the original Memorex until the middle 1990'shttp://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/818035/0000912057-96-027150.txt. Unisys spun out the media, communications and IBM end user sales and service organization as Memorex. Subsequently Memorex merged with Telex. The company evolved into a provider of information technology solutions including the distribution and integration of data network and storage products and the provision of related services in 18 countries worldwide. As late as 2006, several pieces existed as subsidiaries of other companies, see e.g., Memorex Telex Japan Ltdhttp://www.memorex.co.jp/ a subsidiary of Kanematsuhttp://www.kanematsu.co.jp/CONTENTS/eng/group/it.html or Memorex Telex (UK) Ltd. a subsidiary of EDS Global Field Serviceshttp://www.memorex-telex.com/aboutus/.

Timeline

• 1961 - Memorex is founded by Laurence L. Spitters
• Jun 1968 - Memorex ships world's first plug compatible disk drive
• Sep 1971 - Memorex launches its consumer business with shattering glass advertisements
• 1972 - Memorex launches its famous "Is it live, or is it Memorex?" campaign
• Apr 1981 - Burroughs acquires Memorex
• Apr 1982 - Burroughs sells Memorex consumer brand to Tandy
• May 1985 - Burroughs exits OEM disk drive business, selling sales and service to Toshiba
• Sep 1986 - Burroughs and Sperry merges, forming Unisys
• Dec 1986 - Unisys spins off Memorex Media, Telecommunications and International businesses as Memorex International NV.
• Jan 1988 - Memorex-Telex mergerhttp://febcm.club.fr/english/information_technology/information_technology_4.htm
• Dec 1988 - Unisys mainly shuts down large disk business and spins off service and repair as Sequel.
• Nov 1993 - Tandy sells Memorex consumer brand to Hanny Holdings of Hong Kong http://www.memorex.com/images/About_Memorex.pdf
• Jan 2006 - Hanny Holdings sells Memorex consumer brand to Imation in an all-cash transaction.http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/01/19/imation_acquires_memorex/

References