Because the NuTek clones predate the widespread use of the Internet, and because the online Infoworld archives are far from complete, we’ve scrounged up what Infoworld articles we could find online about NuTek and share them here in chronological order. There are at least two more we have not been able to locate.

NuTek One Has a Mac Look and Feel

Infoworld, 1993.03.15, p. 25

By Tom Quinlan

• NuTek is looking to break Apple’s Mac monopoly with its NuTek One, a system that features its own BIOS and operating system.
• NuTek builds Macintosh look-alike; has own OS
• Supports some parts of System 7 and several Mac applications

A new level of Macintosh compatibility is being introduced today, as NuTek USA Corp. unveils its NuTek Mac-compatible system.

Unlike other companies that have tried to emulate Apple Computer Inc.’s Macintosh by using obsolete ROM chips from older Macs or a software-only solution for powerful workstations, the NuTek One system combines a proprietary operating system with a hardware design that mimics the Macintosh.

The NuTek One also supports some features of Apple’s System 7 operating system but lacks support for Publish and Subscribe, Balloon Help, virtual memory, and QuickTime, although some support will be added later, said Benjamin Chou, NuTek president.

The system comes with three NuBus slots, so users can add standard Mac peripherals, and a 33 MHz 68030 processor from Motorola.

With a NuTek chip set that mimics some of the Mac’s functionality, the system is designed to be as fast as Apple’s mid-priced Mac IIvx.

The first incarnation won’t be completely Mac compatible, although “we’ve tested the top 15 software applications and 13 of those worked,” Chou said. The exceptions are Microsoft Corp.’s Excel and Works packages.

NuTek’s system includes the motherboard, operating system, and casing for a list price of $899.

Resellers must add memory, keyboard, hard and floppy drives, monitor, mouse, and power supply, giving the NuTek One a price of approximately $1,600, the company said.

Another Mac-compatible system, which would also run under Windows 3.1, will include an additional 33 MHz 486DX processor, two 80 megabyte hard drives, and 12 megabytes of RAM for a suggested price of less than $3,000.

NuTek, based in Cupertino, Calif., can be reached at (408) 973-8799.

Missing in Action

• InfoWorld, Jan. 14, 1991, Vol. 13, no. 2, p. 8
• InfoWorld, Jan. 28, 1991, Vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 1, 93

Keywords: #infoworld #nutek