Background and Identification

Packard Bell is a Dutch computer manufacturing company that was acquired by Acer, Inc. in 2008. Packard Bell was founded in 1933 by Herbert “Herb” Bell and Leon Packard as an American radio set manufacturer.

Although Packard Bell initially produced radios, the company expanded into defense electronics during the second World War. After World War II, Packard Bell began producing other consumer electronics like television sets. Teledyne Technologies, an American industrial conglomerate, purchased Packard Bell in 1968. Israeli investors bought Packard Bell from Teledyne in 1986 to name a newly formed personal computer manufacturing company selling discount computers in Canada and the United States. Packard Bell computers were among the first IBM personal computer compatibles sold in Sears and other retail chains. Packard Bell became a leading brand in the European personal computer markets and stopped its North American operations in 2000.

In 2008, Packard Bell was bought by Acer, a Taiwanese consumer electronic firm after taking over Gateway, Inc. Between 2008 and 2016, Packard Bell products were sold in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, while Gateway products were sold in the Americas and Asia. In October 2016, PBX Holdings purchased Packard Bell’s United States trademark and began producing and selling Packard Bell products in 2017.

Packard Bell laptops are often identified by the Packard Bell logo, which includes a lowercase “pb” in the center of the laptop’s upper case. Packard Bell products are often confused with companies like Hewlett-Packard, Pacific Bell, and Bell Laboratories.

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