Newer Technology

Newer Technology is a brand of upgrade products that previously led the Macintosh market, and now focuses on iPhone and iPad accessories.

History
Newer Technology's original parent company, Spectrum Engineering, Inc., was founded in October 1984 by James Wiebe and Phil Neufeld in as a memory supplier for the PC marketplace. Its Newer brand entered the Mac marketplace in 1987. The company reported 15 million in sales in 1993, $28 million in 1994, and then $39 million in 1995, netting a profit of $555,888 for that year. However, sales slid to $35 million in 1996, causing the company to take a loss of $3.7 million. That summer, the company was formally renamed Newer Technology, Inc. and split itself into two divisions: NewerRAM to focus on the computer memory market and NewerTECH to focus on the performance upgrade market.

Bankruptcies and reorganization
The collapse of memory prices in spring 1996 had negatively impacted Newer Technology's business and the company filed for bankruptcy protection on June 6, 1996. Sales in 1997 were estimated at $47 million. Though Newer had at one point been the market leader in Mac upgrades, the company was closed for bankruptcy liquidation in January 2001. Some former engineers in Wichita were hired by PowerLogix. Former VP of operations Rick Estes acquired Newer Technology's assets from the bankruptcy court and re-established the company as Newer Systems Technology. On May 29, 2002, Other World Computing (OWC) became the exclusive distributor of all products from Newer, which continued to operate as a brand of OWC.