AMSTRAD plc was founded in 1968 by Alan Michael Sugar ('Alan M Sugar Trading'), manufacturing HiFi-components at first. When the homecomputer boom began, they sold the CPC-series (1984) together with the Schneider AG, AMSTRAD's german distributor. AMSTRAD, however, did all CPC development. the series consisted of the entry-level CPC464 (64K RAM, cassette drive), CPC664 (464 with 3" diskdrive) and CPC6128 (664 with 128K). Although the CPC was a colorful machine with CP/M-capability (important these days!) and a good BASIC, it could never really compete to its archrival, the C64. Nevertheless, it sold quite well in many different countries (especially the cheap CPC464).
In 1986, when Sinclair was at crisis due to the QL's failure, AMSTRAD bought technology and trademarks of their homecomputer-line, together with the exclusive right to produce these machines. AMSTRAD used those rights to relaunch the popular ZX Spectrum to the british market (as Spectrum +2 and Spectrum +3, and with design similar to CPC464) - with little success, just like the CPC Plus series (464plus, 6128plus and GX4000, which were improved successors to the CPC series, with better sound and graphic capabilities).
What probably saved AMSTRAD these days was their part-taking in the upcoming market of IBM compatibles, with machines like the PC1512 (also sold as Sinclair PC800 in the UK), PC1640 (with onboard EGA and sold as PC6400 in the US), the portable PPC512 and PPC640 PCs, and several word processing-solutions (PCW series, aka 'Joyce' in Germany).
After that, AMSTRAD and Schneider went different ways: Schneider introduced their 'Euro-series' (Euro PC, Euro XT, Euro AT) and the modular Tower-AT, whereas AMSTRAD created their own PC-line, beginning with the PC2086 and PC2286 (succeeded by 3000-, 4000-, 5000- and 7000-series machines). Schneider's promise to build a Motorola 68000-based machine (to rival Amiga and ATARI ST) never came true, by the way.
Today, AMSTRAD plc manufactures a great range of consumer electronics products, from telephones to satellite-receivers. The Schneider AG, on the other hand, sold PCs and peripherals as OEM, and developed some laser technologies to be used in consumer electronics (laser-projection TV). However, in 2002, Schneider went bankrupt, and the company's future is still unkown (if there is any)... So will we ever see AMSTRAD and Schneider in the computer market again?

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