Sinclair
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QL
The QL was Sinclair's attempt at a 16-bit
machine. Although
announced in January 1984, the machine did not ship until May (even
though
orders were taken and cheques cashed) and cost £399).
When the first machines were shipped, not all
of the components
fitted inside the casing, so a small, add-on box stuck out of the back
of the machine containing the overflowed parts.
Production ceased in 1987.
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ZX Spectrum
Following on from the success of the ZX81,
Sinclair released
the ZX Spectrum in mid 1982. The machine's low cost (£125 for the
16k version and £175 for the 48k version) made it possibly the
most
popular UK home computer.
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ZX Spectrum 128
With more competing machines appearing on the
market,
by 1985 Sinclair had to upgrade the Spectrum yet again. This time, the
memory was upgraded to 128k and an improved sound chip was added (the
ever
popular Yamaha chip used in a number of other machines at the time).
To take advantage of the extra facilities and
still keep
compatability with existing software, the machine had two modes:
original
48k mode and the enhanced 128k mode.
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ZX Spectrum+
By 1984, the Spectrum was starting to look a
little outdated
compared to its rivals, so in October Sinclair released the Spectrum+
at
£179 as a replacement for the original model. The differences
were
little more than cosmetic (adding an improved, almost typewriter-like
keyboard),
but due to the now rather large software base, the machine continued to
sell well.
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ZX80
Billed as "Britain's first complete computer
kit",
Sinclair's ZX80 was available either in kit form for £79.95 or as
a pre-built unit for £99.95.
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ZX81
Released in 1981, the Sinclair ZX81 is often
seen as the
machine that started the UK home computer boom.
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Sony
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Sony HIT-BIT
Released in May 1984 and costing £299,
the HIT-BIT
was Sony's attempt at an MSX computer. Unlike most of the competition,
Sony's machine only had 16k RAM (the minimum requirement for the MSX
specification).
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Sord
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Sord M5
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Spectravideo
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Spectravideo SVI 728
Released in May 1984 at the price of
£249, the SVI
728 was Spectravideo's MSX offering.
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Tandy
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Color Computer
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Tandy MC-10
The MC-10 was a small, cut-down version of the
Tandy Color
Computer. Production of this machine ceased in June 1984.
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Tangerine
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Oric Atmos
In January 1984, Tangerine released a
replacement for
the Oric-1, the Oric Atmos. Only available in a 48k version, the
machine's
main improvement was the replacement of the calculator keyboard with a
typewrite-style one.
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Oric-1
Released in 1983 with both similar styling and
cost (£129.95
for the 16k version), Tangerine's Oric-1 was often seen as a direct
competitor
to Sinclair's Spectrum. Although the machine sold well, it wasn't as
successful
as its rival and production ceased on January 16th 1984.
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