After two decades of operating under the name FileMaker, the Apple-owned software company has decided to return to its original name: Claris.
Apple first created Claris in 1986 when it was under the leadership of John Sculley. Claris was meant to become an independent company focused on making software for the Mac, but three years later, Sculley changed course and bought back a minority ownership that had been sold off. Claris originally worked on programs like MacDraw, MacWrite, and MacPaint, but FileMaker became its leading product in the ’90s, selling 3 million copies a year across Mac and Windows.
In 1998, Apple gutted Claris and renamed it FileMaker, laying off around 300 employees and bringing most of its software back in-house. At the time, Apple was regularly seeing steep quarterly losses and had laid off thousands of employees of its own. Given Claris’ success, though, the change was unexpected. Wired called it “the most recent in an ongoing and bizarre series of moves for Apple and its software subsidiary.”
FileMaker has continued to develop its custom database software since then, and it’s been successful: the 300-person company has been profitable for two decades and says it has 50,000 business entities with more than 1 million users on its products. Its core product can be used to build apps that run on macOS, Windows, iOS, or in the cloud; some coding experience is required, but it’s supposed to offer companies or departments the ability to create custom software that’s a better fit than off-the-shelf products.
Now, the company wants to branch out beyond its one and only app. Today, it’s announcing the acquisition of Stamplay, an Italian startup that made software to automate business processes, with a focus on web tools that FileMaker has lacked. The acquisition was first reported in March (though Apple was seen as the buyer), with Italian media pegging the price at around 5 million euros (about $5.55 million USD). Stamplay will be rebranded Claris Connect, with Stamplay’s CEO remaining in charge of the app.
After 20 years under one leader, FileMaker got a new CEO in March. Its new CEO, Brad Freitag, tells The Verge that with people becoming “increasingly comfortable” with tech in the workplace, there’s a growing opportunity to provide software that helps that “digital transformation.” That means there are more products to come from Claris, rather than another two decades focused on the same app. “Our vision is to enhance the number of services we offer to the market,” Freitag said.
As for the name change, Freitag says the company hired a branding agency and looked at around a thousand possible names. Ultimately, the team just liked what it already had. “We’re proud of our legacy,” Freitag said. “We want to bring that along.”
Comments
As a developer I still have no idea what this software actually does. It’s like a database? That makes apps? And it’s been around for like 20 years? This is a world I don’t understand.
By Emma Foster on 08.06.19 11:08am
It’s database driven modular front-end that allows you create custom applications to fit your needs. Kinda like MS Access applications but a bit simpler to use with less or even no coding involved to create these custom applications. I’ve designed help desk ticketing and inventory applications out of it back in the days. I haven’t personally used it in years since we’d migrated to something much more robust. But if your needs are simple enough, it’s a pretty cool way to create applications. My sister-in-law uses it even now in her Optometry practice to track patient records and orders.
By CNT on 08.06.19 12:30pm
You can host a database on a shared server (even using a Windows file share), then use thick clients to access the database. I much prefer web-based applications that don’t require a thick client, but there are still plenty of people using the old model.
By aardWolf on 08.06.19 3:13pm
For a certain type of demographic, and therefore clientele who are 40+ years old and who have fond memories of writing their school or college essays on a Macintosh SE or Macintosh Classic, yes indeed, ‘Claris’ does have resonance. Not sure how it would track with the millennial crowd.
But what a great gig for the branding agency. Easy check!
By marcopolomint on 08.06.19 11:15am
Claris Works was the first office suite I personally owned (well, it came free with my Mac Classic II), though I had used others at school and work. And wasn’t HyperCard under the Claris umbrella, or am I mis-remembering that?
By Johnny Socko on 08.06.19 2:13pm
It was for a while. Apple at one point was distributing all its software via its Claris division and gave some of its pre-Claris software to the division to further develop and publish.
By Pentagen on 08.06.19 4:07pm
I hope the dogcow returns.
By robertoandred on 08.06.19 11:33am
Personally, I would have re-named it Bcius.
By Pentagen on 08.06.19 4:04pm