The Rise and Fall of Apple’s Mac Clones Era

Apple briefly allowed Mac clones in the 1990s to respond to a competitive PC market but quickly withdrew due to concerns over brand integrity and sales. The clone era lasted from 1995 to 1997, enabling third parties, like Power Computing, to legally produce Macintosh-compatible computers. However, the effort ultimately failed as these clones undercut Apple’s market, leading to significant financial losses. Upon Steve Jobs’ return, Apple ended the clone program to regain control over its ecosystem, revealing the pitfalls of licensing its operating system to competitors.

https://spectrum.ieee.org/apple-mac-clones-history