On March 5 , 1981 , Sinclair Researchlaunched the ZX81 home computer in the U.K.(It was also screw as the Timex - Sinclair TS1000 in the U.S. ) It total with just one kibibyte of memory , and was a ego - contained unit with a rather rotten keyboard . The keyboard did n’t have moving cardinal substitution ; instead it used membrane button similar to those often used on microwave oven ovens .
Despite its limitation , the ZX81 was a rotation , because it cost just £ 49.95 in the U.K.—massively bum than anything else on the market . It was also available in normal retail shop , rather than specialty computer shops .
It really was the people ’s information processing system , and for many it was their introduction to home calculation and reckoner computer programming . Incidentally , at that cheap toll , it wasa kit you assembled at home(a soldering atomic number 26 was require ) . You ’d have to pay an special £ 20 if you want a pre - assembled unit . In the U.S. , the full - assemble unitcost $ 149.95 .
The ZX81 was also expandable . You could kick upstairs it from its RAM using an outside cartridge to bring it up to 16k — making it immensely more functional for real work . If you need to hive away programs , you keep them on cassette tape using a tape recording equipment . This was a finicky process , as you had to diddle with the book to get thing just right … but for the price , it was invincible .
The ZX81 / TS1000 sold jillion , despite its limitations . Although it did n’t take over the computing populace , its serious stress on retail price made it a common data processor in the early home calculation market . ( My family had one ! ) It was literally a fraction of the terms of compete systems . Here ’s adetailed commemoration of the ZX81 , register some of what it could ( and could not ) do :
Here’smore detailfrom that interview , let in a discussion of the " wonky " RAM multitude :
If you require to go deeply , readthis 1982 interview with Clive Sinclair , watchthis long consultation with Sinclair employee Ruth Bramley . TheZX81 Wikipedia pageis also quite solid .
