Here is a list of links to different pages and articles on Low End Mac about the various different clones and other types of computers Apple made prior to the Mac, such as the Apple I, II, and III.
There were two eras of Macintosh clones: The unauthorized period, when clones were reverse engineered or built around ROMs or used logic boards removed from existing Macs; and the authorized period, when Apple approved vendors and licensed the Mac OS and hardware designs.
Apple started to license the Mac in 1994, the first clones arrived in 1995, and they quickly cut into Apple’s profitable high-end market. For an overview of the authorized clone period, see Apple Squeezes Mac Clones Out of the Market
