computers that same year. America Online was first offered to Apple computers in 1989, and it changed its name to America Online in 1991. The company went public in 1992. The company has grown by targeting niches, by developing "electronic communities" for specific groups, such as SeniorNet for older computer users and the National Education Association. Among its more important rivals are CompuServe, GEnie, and Prodigy. America Online enlarged its market in 1993 with a Windows version and worked on developing a version for palmtop computers. At the end of 1992 the company had 219,000 subscribers, and this was a 40 percent increase in one year (Hoover's Handbook of Emerging Companies 1993-1994 137).
By 1994 the company had over one million subscribers to become the third largest on-line computer service in the United States, after CompuServe and prodigy. Among the services offered were travel reservations, on-line classes, bulletin boards, news, and financial data. The Tribune Company owns 10.3 percent of AOL and provides local on-line information and services. In 1994, the company was reorganized into four divisions in an attempt to keep pace with the growth of global networking. The four divisions are AOL Services, AOL International, AOL Technologies, and Internet Services. AOL also purchased multimedia developer Redgate Communications, anticipating expansion into CD-ROM and interactive TV formats. AOL worked to build its customer base by establishing strategic alliances with dozens of companies, among them Time Warner, NBC, Spring, Knight-Ridder, and IBM. Rate r
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