# Consumer Electronics Brands That Have Disappeared?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 7, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991 "2012-09-07T14:41:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/41 "2012-09-09T01:13:14Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#):
>
> LG is the opposite of this thread, though. I can remember when I’d never heard of them. That was probably 8 years ago. Suddenly, they seemed to be everywhere.
See above. That was right around the time they switched from Goldstar to LG.
Hmm… Wiki says the changeover occured in 1995.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/42 "2012-09-09T01:14:17Z")
I just checked and I’m surprised to see eMachines are still around (even after being bought up twice). We needed a cheapo computer to run one program at work. What a piece of junk that was. I think it worked for about a year before a few caps on the motherboard blew…and that was after being junk to begin with.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/43 "2012-09-09T01:19:08Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#):
>
> LG is the opposite of this thread, though. I can remember when I’d never heard of them. That was probably 8 years ago. Suddenly, they seemed to be everywhere.
I think I had an LG cell phone in college at some point and I remember being a big weary about getting some brand I’ve never heard of. This was when cell phones were still relatively new and I think it was the first phone I got after the Nokia candy bar phone that everyone had.
A few years ago I bought an LG fridge (and it was really expensive to boot).
I’m still not sure exactly who LG is. I don’t know if they actually make anything or just slap a badge on random products. For example, the fridge I bought, you can buy one that’s almost exactly the same by Maytag, Amana, LG, and one or two other brands. Some cosmetic differences, but the same fridge. I’d imagine one place makes them and and just sticks a different facade and brand on them for whoever’s buying them that day.
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/44 "2012-09-09T01:45:28Z")
When I read the thread title, the first brand I though of was _ **Soundesign** _. They made Sears-level (but still pretty decent for the day) stereos when I was in high school.
In the early 70s they had a [portable AM/FM stereo with detachable speakers](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/-dc-/SoundesignAMFMRadio.jpg)–it was awesome. Those were the days when I was discovering AOR rock and the artists were going all out isolating instruments and sweeping sounds from side to side. Back in the olden days, those detachable speakers stood in for headphones when I first started getting in to Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. _sigh_…those were the days.
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### Author:  [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/45 "2012-09-09T02:23:36Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> I’m still not sure exactly who LG is.
[**Lucky-Goldstar**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG_Corp), according to Wikipedia.
> [@](#):
>
> LG Corp. founder Koo In-Hwoi established Lak-Hui Chemical Industrial Corp. in 1947.[4] In 1952, Lak-Hui (pronounced “Lucky”, currently LG Chem) became the first Korean company to enter the plastic industry. As the company expanded its plastic business, it established Goldstar Co. Ltd. (currently LG Electronics Inc.) in 1958. Both companies Lucky and Goldstar merged and formed Lucky-Goldstar.
> [@](#):
>
> Originally Posted by \*\*Joey P
> \*\*I don’t know if they actually make anything or just slap a badge on random products. For example, the fridge I bought, you can buy one that’s almost exactly the same by Maytag, Amana, LG, and one or two other brands. Some cosmetic differences, but the same fridge. I’d imagine one place makes them and and just sticks a different facade and brand on them for whoever’s buying them that day.
I bought a Kenmore fridge last year. The name fell off as the delivery men hauled it into the kitchen. I picked the badge up off the floor and saw it has two-sided sticky tape on the back. I stuck it back on.
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### Author:  [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/46 "2012-09-09T03:19:48Z")
> [@Kenm](#):
>
> [**Lucky-Goldstar**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG_Corp), according to Wikipedia. I bought a Kenmore fridge last year. The name fell off as the delivery men hauled it into the kitchen. I picked the badge up off the floor and saw it has two-sided sticky tape on the back. I stuck it back on.
From what I remember when researching refrigerators Kenmore is mostly LG and Whirlpool, there really are no pure Kenmore fridges.
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### Author:  [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/47 "2012-09-09T03:26:42Z")
> [@ftg](#):
>
> Who “makes” electronics and what the labels say are two different things now. Many famous brands no longer operate any factories of their own.
In the OEM world, the question is less whose robots and fingers are assembling the products, but who is designing it. Apple, for example, is heavily involved in, not completely responsible for, all aspects of the design of it’s products, although it has someone else put the products together. Anytime another company does the actual manufacturing, they have to have some involvement to handle the inevitable tweaks required to make the manufactured product match the design and to handle quality control issues, etc. At my previous company, we had a Chinese company manufacturer some of the products, but all design was done in house, and we had full time engineering, QC, manufacturing, and liaison staff based in the partner’s facilities in China.
On the other side are private labels which slap a label on another company’s products. Usually, there are specifications for performance, but the engineering is not supplied and it is up to the manufacturer to design the products as well.
Does it make a difference? Yes, very much so. Controlling one’s own design allows for one to truly make a product with your own concept, features and quality. It also allows more flexibility in designing future products. However, it’s expensive and only the winners can afford to play this game.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/48 "2012-09-09T03:35:24Z")
Philco (my father’s employer in the '60s).
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/49 "2012-09-09T15:23:57Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Philco (my father’s employer in the '60s).
Philco’s later history is interesting. Went thru several owners, including Ford and GTE, and ended being bought by Philips who wanted what was left of the company so they could avoid trademark infringement since Philips was too close to Philco.
Now Philips can market in the US under their own name, but they still label a few things Philco for old times sake.
Want to avoid brand confusion? Buy the other brand!
Not all Philco label products in overseas markets are Philips, though.
Too many trademarks are owned by different companies in different markets.
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### Author:  [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/50 "2012-09-09T17:30:56Z")
> [@Duckster](#):
>
> Just because you may see the name don’t assume it’s the same company. Companies are bought and sold, often just to acquire a brand name because the brand name is what has perceived consumer value.
> [ul]
> [li] Magnavox is just a brand name. It ceased to exist as its own company in 1974. I wouldn’t buy a Magavox-branded product today.[/li][li] Pioneer Corporation still exists. It has diversified but remains to its core technologies.[/li][li]Zenith is just a brand name. It ceased to exist as its own company in 1999. As with Magnavox, I wouldn’t buy a Zenith-branded product today.[/li][/ul]
What happened to Zenith’s laptop/PC business? They had quite a large market share in the late 1980’s-when they were sold to Thomson-what happened?
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/51 "2012-09-09T17:47:42Z")
> [@ftg](#):
>
> Philco’s later history is interesting. Went thru several owners, including Ford and GTE, and ended being bought by Philips who wanted what was left of the company so they could avoid trademark infringement since Philips was too close to Philco.
>
> Now Philips can market in the US under their own name, but they still label a few things Philco for old times sake.
>
> Want to avoid brand confusion? Buy the other brand!
>
> Not all Philco label products in overseas markets are Philips, though.
>
> Too many trademarks are owned by different companies in different markets.
Did not know that – interesting! (Dad worked for them when they were owned by Ford, which is where he’d started – I was the only member of my immediate family who was born in Dearborn.)
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/52 "2012-09-09T19:42:19Z")
[Packard Bell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packard_Bell_(1926)) was never a big national name - until 1950 they did business only in 6 Western states - but they made radios, TVs, and military electronics, as well as some early computers. The nameplate went to an Israeli venture cap team in the 1980s, then to NEC, and is now owned by Acer, in Holland.
(And no, they never had any connection to Hewlett Packard. Or Packard Motors. Or the Bell System.)
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### Author:  [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/53 "2012-09-10T21:12:16Z")
Philco is indeed a Philips-owned brand. It was sold in the USA as a second brand to Magnavox (TVs, VCRs, etc.). It think it is a fairly minor brand, but it is big in South America.
The whole branding thing confuses me-it is like GM, with multiple versions of the same car…eventually, its customers saw through the whole thing.
Why buy a Buick if there is an equivalent Chevy for less money?
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### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/54 "2012-09-10T22:12:54Z")
> [@ralph124c](#):
>
> What happened to Zenith’s laptop/PC business? They had quite a large market share in the late 1980’s-when they were sold to Thomson-what happened?
> **[Zenith Data Systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenith_Data_Systems)**
>
> Zenith Data Systems Corporation (ZDS) was an American computer systems manufacturing company active from 1979 to 1996. It was originally a division of the Zenith Radio Company (later Zenith Electronics), after they had purchased the Heath Company and, by extension, their Heathkit line of electronic kits and kit microcomputers, from Schlumberger in October 1979. ZDS originally operated from Heath's own headquarters in St. Joseph, Michigan. By the time Zenith acquired Heathkit, their H8 kit co...
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/55 "2012-09-11T15:23:49Z")
The Sharper Image is just a brand name now. Similarly, the Atari name is still kicking around.
Coleco (which started as a shoe leather company) seems pretty much dead, but it has a vestigial web [site](http://www.coleco.com/). Amusingly, it purports to offer a game for the Blackberry.
They’re not exactly electronics, but the Seth Thomas clock company is gone, and Westclox lives on only as a name.
> [@jasg](#):
>
> Haven’t seen a Muntz TV in years.
“HA-ha!”
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> I just bought [this](http://us.marantz.com/us/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=AVReceivers&SubCatId=0&ProductId=SR7005) Marantz receiver about a year ago. I really liked my Onkyo, but it was time to upgrade so I could use it with HDMI inputs and outputs and I decided to give them a try.
Onkyo… Onkyo very much…
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### Author:  [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/56 "2012-09-11T17:42:07Z")
> [@johnpost](#):
>
> Sears had Silvertone.
And Monkey Ward had Airline (?).
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/57 "2012-09-11T17:53:13Z")
Whatever happened to the go-to for cheap stereos in the 70’s and early 80’s-Yorx?
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/58 "2012-09-11T18:25:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> Whatever happened to the go-to for cheap stereos in the 70’s and early 80’s-Yorx?
Now this is one that’s not so easy to find. According to [this](http://gizmodo.com/147048/low-end-theory?tag=gadgetscolumns), got bought out a couple times and apparently disappeared completely by 2004.
Really, really cheap crap. Stuff I wouldn’t buy at a garage sale for $5 for one of my kids to use/destroy.
But of course there are people listing Yorx (or “York”) all-in-one stereo systems for $100 on eBay. Dream on.
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### Author:  [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/59 "2012-09-11T18:44:24Z")
> [@ftg](#):
>
> Now this is one that’s not so easy to find. According to [this](http://gizmodo.com/147048/low-end-theory?tag=gadgetscolumns), got bought out a couple times and apparently disappeared completely by 2004.
>
> Really, really cheap crap. Stuff I wouldn’t buy at a garage sale for $5 for one of my kids to use/destroy.
>
> But of course there are people listing Yorx (or “York”) all-in-one stereo systems for $100 on eBay. Dream on.
Interesting story..however, “cheap junk” wasn’t confined to Asian brands-Philips itself had a lot of quality problems in the 1980’s and '90’s. Take the automotive audio CD. Philips invented it (and held all the basic patents), but the first 100,000 units (made for GM) had a big problem (they skipped when the car went over a bump or railroad tracks). GM cancelled the deal. Later, Philips tried to sell the units-problem was that the preamp units had a non-standard output impedance..oh well..I think they all went to a landfill somewhere.
Yorx actually made some decent stuff for a good price..but the author is right-once the switches and volume controls wore out, fixing them was not feasible.
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### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-electronics-brands-that-have-disappeared/633991/60 "2012-09-11T21:38:26Z")
Hows about Studebakers? They’re still around, no?
mmm
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