PC Pro - UK 2021-12)

Sinclairgotthrough“anamazing
number”ofcigarettes,it’stemptingto
takethisliterally.Buttheman who
boastedanIQof 159 and chaired
BritishMensafor 17 years (remaining
honorarypresidentuntilhisdeath)
knewhisownlimits.
“Hewouldleavetheoutlines that
needed serious,detailed,design
calculationstothosewhoweremore
specialist,” Curry said.“Buthewasa
forcefulpersuader andhisscreamof
‘look,I’vedonethemaths’ wouldset
therest of us smilingateachother.
Hisself-persuasion gavehim
hugeconviction.”
WhenCurryworkedat
SinclairRadionics,hegotto
gripswithhisboss’s
mini-FMradiokits,
hi-fiamplifiers
andscientific
instruments. He
alsodesigned
theworld’s
firstslimline
pocketcalculator,
theSinclairExecutive,
whichlaunchedin 1972.Itsold
for£79andmadethecompany
£2.5millionin 1 974 alone.
JustasSinclairwoulddefendany
shortcomingsintheMicrovision,so
hewould looktomarkethisproducts
towithinaninchoftheirlife,always
takingoutfull-pageadverts.
“Hehada strongbeliefinthe
powerofthe printedpageandhis
verycleverad agency andthis
usuallyledtoa successfullaunch,”
Currysaid.Suchheavypromotion
couldpaper over some cracks,
includingbuildquality.Sinclair’s
advertising agentAlfredMarksonce
said,“healwaysrushedtogetthings
intoproduction”, buttheinventor
gaveSyncmagazinea different spin in
1981 whenexplainingthathis
intentionwasto“lead in technology”
whilstkeepingpriceslow.
And,unlike rivalssuchasApple,
Sinclair’sproductswereaffordable.
“Consumerpricingwashis
moderator,”Currysaid(rivalportable
radios,forinstance,costmuch more
backthen).Sinclairalsowantedhis
productstobedesirable.“Sleek
designwasthe icin
cake,”Curry
Itworked.Sincl
andlogobecamea
haveformanyelec
hobbyists,and
Radionics’profits
grewfrom£97,00
in 1972 to
£240,000 in 1974.
Butratherthan
celebratea success
launch,he’dsimpl
thenextproject.
wasassumed,”

“Sowhenit

happenedhe

wouldjustput

moreenergyinto

thenextproject

or,asweusedto

joke,‘book the

advertising’.”

Still,badtimes

werearoundthe

corner.Sinclair

Radionicswasn’t

immunetothe mid-1970scrises

andthecompany’s fortuneswere

sliding,Sinclair setupSinclair

Instrumentsin 1975 andCurryheaded

toitthefollowingyear,oneofits

productsbeingtheWristCalculator.

SinclairRadionics,meanwhile,was

beingbailedoutbytheNational

EnterpriseBoard(NEB).“Thefuture

lookedbleak,”Curryrecalled.

“Clivewasreallyfed up withthe

interferenceoftheghastlyNEBwhich

hadtakencontroland he suggested

thatweshouldmakea productfor the

hobbymarketinthe US,” he said.“We

decidedto usesomeoldcomponents

tomakethedigitalwatchkitandto

sellit through SinclairInstrumentto

avoidtheNEB’sinvolvement.”

Birthofanicon

SinclairInstrumentsbecameScience

ofCambridgein1977.Thecompany

workedonanearlycomputercalled

theMK14,whichwasavailableto buy

inkitformin 1 978 for£39.95excVAT.

Currywantedtodevelopthe

Frustrated,Curryleftandsetup

CambridgeProcessorUnit with

physicsresearcherHermannHauser.

ThiscompanywouldbecomeAcorn

Computers,oneofSinclair’smain

rivals.“Clivehadnoticedthatthe

MK14wasanimmediatesuccess

buthe insisteditwasa passing

craze,”Curry said.

YetSinclairsoonchangedhis

mind.In March 1979,hischief

engineerJimWestwoodstartedwork

onanothercomputer– theZX 80 –

releasedon 29 Januarythefollowing

year.ScienceofCambridgewasnow

SinclairComputers(soon to be

SinclairResearch),andthismachine

wouldproverevolutionary,bringing

computingtothemasses.

Costing£99.95fully assembled,it

wasfarsmallerthanthecomputersof

a generationpriorthatcostthousands

andwouldtakeupentirerooms.True

toSinclair’sroots,italsocameinkit

formfor£ 20 less.BasedontheZ80

processor,theZX 80 boasteda speedof

3.25MHzand1KofRAM,anditwas

alsoaround80%cheaper than other

computersatthetime.

In1981,SinclairResearchfollowed

upwith theZX81,costing £69. 95 fully

builtand£49.95as a kit.

Aswithitspredecessor,it

includedSinclairBASIC

andoutputtedinblackand

white.Butithadfewer

chips(fourasopposedto

21),banished screenflicker

andadded an extra4Kof

ROM.Designedby RickDickinson,it

wona Design Councilaward.

Itwasn’t long beforeSinclair

becameembroiled in an earlytech

battle. TheBBCComputerLiteracy

ProjectinvitedbidsfromBritain’s

leadingcomputermanufacturersto

builda machinethatcouldbebadged

withthebroadcaster’slogo. Sinclair

ResearchandAcornComputersmade

a pitchalongsideNewbury

Laboratories,TangerineComputer

SystemsandDragonData.Acornwon,

andtheBBCMicrowasborn.But

Sinclairbelievedhiscompanywould

havebeen a betterchoice.

“Cliverespondeddismissively

andheattackedtheBBCforgetting

wheretheywerenot

butheleftuslargely

nghis convictionthat

newith thewrong

urrysaid.“Hethensped

hisnextproduct, and

wewouldseelessofeach

otheronthepubcircuit

r a coupleofyears.”

Bitofabeef

extmachinewasthe ZX

rum,andSinclairwas

inYourComputer

inJune 1982 as

LEFTTheSinclair

ZX80hadacurious

membranekeyboard

andfakegrille

“Heonceendeduphitting

Curryovertheheadwith

arolled-upnewspaper

intheBaronofBeefpub

inCambridge”

.

air’sname

must-

tronics

clair

ful

y move to

orClive,success

ryexplained.

,

wasn’tkeen. supposedt

alonenursi

theyhadgo

product,”C

f

Th

Spe

quot

maga

BELOWTheSpectrum

thetoastrackdueto

itsexternalheatsink

LEFTTheworld’s

firstslimlinepocket

calculator,the

SinclairExecutive

ZX80

inage:

Dan

iel

Ryde

,CC-B

Y-

SA

3.0;

Calculator

inage:

MaltaGC,

CC

BY-SA

3.0

Spectrum

128

image:

©

Bill

Be

rt

ram

2006

,CC-B

Y-2.

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