28 Sep
2021
28 Sep
'21
10:36 a.m.
Jecel Assumpcao Jr says:
While the American public were very ignorant of
Sinclair's
achievements, the US home computer makers were very worried about
them. In 1983 both Commodore and Texas Instruments were working on
their "ZX81 killers".
The US industry thought that the $99 price point needed to be reached, in part because of
the Timex/Sinclair 1000's example; besides the 99/2 and Commodore 16, the TRS-80 MC-10
is another example of the ultra low-cost "Sinclair fighter".
The industry did not expect that a) more usable computers would reach the $99 price point,
including the 99/4A ($49 after discontinuation) and VIC-20, and b) the TS 1000 didn't
sell very well in the US anyway. Then the video game crash of 1983's aftereffects
essentially wiped out the US home computer industry outside the C64, with Apple II and the
PC for those willing to pay more.