In 1989, Canon invested US$100 million in NeXT, giving it a 16.67 percent stake and making NeXT worth almost $600 million. Canon invested in NeXT with the condition of using the NeXTSTEP environment with its own workstations, which would mean a greatly expanded market for the software. After NeXT exited the hardware business, Canon produced a line of PCs called "object.station", including models 31, 41, 50, and 52, specifically designed to run NeXTSTEP for Intel. Canon also served as NeXT's distributor in Japan.