POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Sinclair ZX81computer

Object No. 2013/72/1

The Sinclair ZX81 is a personal computer that was available either as a kit or fully assembled. It was designed and marketed to be connected to a domestic television and had a very small memory which made it capable of handling only trivial programs. The ZX81 was specifically designed to be sold for less than 100 pounds sterling, 20% of the cost of any other available machines at the time of its release. The ZX81's predecessor, the ZX80, became the first computer available to a general market. Other kit computers were available but catered to the tastes of the electronics hobbyists and required their skills for assembly. The ZX80 with its moulded plastic casing, completely enclosing and hiding the electronic components, was much more appealing to the non-technical consumer. The broader appeal and low cost meant it became the first introduction many people had to computer programming. The ZX80 was unreliable and very limited in its application. Sinclair addressed this by improving aspects of the ZX81 such as better BASIC programming language, but also keeping it cheap to produce, due to having fewer chips and a simpler design. The first micro-processor computers were used mainly for business and academic purposes or by electronics hobbyists. The ZX81 was bought and used by people in their homes to learn about and experiment with computer programming. The ZX81 was one of the first "home computers" as distinct from a "personal computer". The quality of the ZX81 at the time of its release was considered to be quite acceptable. But with a drop in the price of machines like the Commodore and the Apple II which had proper keyboards and monitors, the ZX81 became obsolete. Clive Sinclair, the man who started Sinclair Research, was an English entrepreneur who had a vision of taking home-computing out of the realm of hobbyists, and into the mass market. Sinclair was a successful business person, and exemplified what the British Thatcher government espoused: self-made financial success and an unashamed embracing of capitalism. Damian McDonald Curator July 2013