Sinclair and the 'Sunrise' Technology: The Deconstruction of a Myth (37 page)

June: IC12 integrated circuit amplifier announced at £2.98

[November: Intel launch 4004 four-bit microprocessor chip on to market]

1972
May: Sinclair Radionics profits £97,000 on turnover of £761,000

June: Executive calculator launched at £79.95, wins Design Centre Award. Appoints Primary Contact as ad agency October: Q30 speaker launched

[April: Intel 8008 eight-bit microprocessor chip appears]

1973
May: Sinclair Radionics generates a turnover of £1.8m

August: Sinclair Cambridge calculator introduced at £29.95 exc. VAT built, £24.95 kit

September: Ableseal Ltd registered

November: Executive Memory calculator launched at £24.95 exc. VAT

December: Project 80 revamp of Project 60 modules launched with advice on building it into your furniture included

1974
February: $1.5m of Executive calculators sold to Japan

April: Sinclair Scientific calculator launched at £19.95 exc. VAT built, £14.95 kit DM1 multimeter launched but unavailable

May: Sinclair Radionics profits £240,000 on turnover of £4m

June: System 4000 hi-fi system launched

November: Clive presented with Institute of Marketing award DM1 multimeter kit dropped to £24.95.Sinclair Radionics Inc., USA founded with Nigel Searle as President

[April: Intel 8080 chip launched, unit cost $360]

1975
February: Ablesdeal Ltd becomes Westminster Mail Order Ltd. DM2 digital multimeter launched at £59 exc. VAT 

March: Oxford range of calculators launched: ‘100’, £12.95; ‘200’, £19.95; ‘300’, £29.95, exc. VAT

April: Sinclair Radionics wins Queen’s Award to Industry Sinclair Radionics profits £45,000 on turnover of £6.3m August: Cambridge Scientific Programmable (Mk 1) calculator launched at £29.95 exc. VAT Westminster Mail Order Ltd becomes Sinclair Instruments Ltd

November: Black Watch announced

[January: Altair 8800 kit computer appears in Popular Electronics in USA at $395. Used Intel 8080 chip, had 256 bytes of memory] [September: Intel 6502 chip appears at $25, MITS 4K and 8K BASICs appear, KIM-1 micro appears at $245]

1976
January: Black Watch available with ‘totally in-house designed chip’ at £17.95 kit

March: Black Watch kit dropped to £14.95

April: Sinclair Radionics loss £355,000 on turnover of £5.6m Black Watch available built at £24.95

July: Black Watch adverts cease to appear

August: National Enterprise Board inject £650,000 capital for 43 per cent stake in Sinclair Radionics

October: NRDC agree to £1m input into flat-screen TV

[April: Apple Computer Inc. formed]

[June: Zilog Z80 microprocessor chip launched]

1977 January: Microvision T VIA pocket TV launched at £225, production 200 a month

February: Cambridge Scientific Programmable (Mk 2) launched at £17.22 with program library at £4.95 

Sinclair Instruments Ltd launch wristwatch calculator at £9.95 kit

April: Sovereign calculator in ‘brushed chrome’ wins Design Centre Award. 

Sinclair Radionics loss £820,000 in previous twelve months

July: NEB inject further £1.65m to take 73 per cent equity in Sinclair Radionics, and extend loan facility of £1m 

Norman Hewett appointed MD of Radionics on behalf of NEB 

Sinclair Instruments Ltd becomes Science of Cambridge Ltd 

Clive and Hewett visit Las Vegas electronics show

October: Enterprise calculator launched at £9.95

November: Microquartz car clock produced for retail at £12.95

December: Sinclair Radionics loss £1.29m in previous eight months

[April: Apple II (4KR AM,$1298) and Commodore PET (4K RAM, monitor, $595) computers appear]

[August: TRS-80 Model 1, 4K RAM, 4K ROM BASIC, monitor, $599, appears]

1978 Design work starts on Clive Sinclair’s first micro: the machine that later became the NewBrain

February: President desktop calculator launched

April: Microvision wins Design Centre Award

June: Science of Cambridge Ltd launch MK14 microcomputer kit at £39.95 exc. VAT

July: Norman Hewett leaves Radionics. 

Science of Cambridge offer VDU module (£33.75), cassette interface (£7.25) and PROM programming card (£11.85) forMK14

Enterprise Programmable launched at £25

September: Michael Pye appointed MD of Radionics 

November: Simplified UK version of Microvision TV1B launched at £99.95

December: Sinclair Radionics loss £1.98m on £6.39m turnover. Total NEB investment £4.45m, plus trading losses 

[June: Exidy Sorcerer, 8K R AM, 12K ROM, $895, appears]

1979
March: Sinclair PFM 200 frequency meter launched at £49.80

April: Science of Cambridge commission ZX80 version of BASIC

May: NEB announces plans to sell off calculator and TV interests of Sinclair Radionics

Acorn launch System 1 microcomputer kit at £65 plus VAT 

July: Clive Sinclair resigns from Sinclair Radionics with £10,000 golden handshake

August: Binatone buys stock and rights to Microvision and Enterprise calculators for £1m +

September: NEB shift instruments division into Sinclair Electronics

December: NEB loss totals £7.8m on Radionics operation

1980
January: Sinclair Electronics becomes Thandar Electronics Ltd, and Sinclair Radionics ceases to exist

February: Sinclair ZX80 launched at £79.95 for kit. Built versions available March for £99.95. Power supplies £8.95. Memory expansions from IK (£28.00) to 15K (£276.00) available 

Acorn add 8K memory kit (£95 +VAT) and VDU colour card (£88 + VAT) to System 1

March: Science of Cambridge profit £131,000 on turnover of £640,000. 

Work starts on 8K BASIC upgrade

June: Acorn launch Atom (full keyboard, 2K RAM, 8K ROM BASIC) for £120 kit, £150 assembled, plus VAT 

September: New 8K ROM for ZX80 with extended BASIC announced at £19.95

November: Science of Cambridge Ltd becomes Sinclair Computers Ltd. 

New ROM for ZX80 withdrawn.Clive appointed Chairman of British Mensa

1981
February: £5m, four-year capital investment in flat-screen TV production announced by Sinclair for Timex plant includes £2.6m grants from DOI and SEPD. 

First production models to be Microvision 2700, priced ‘about £50’ and ‘expected summer 1982’. 

Clive announces ZX80 will be linked to flat-screen TV ‘some time next year’

March: ZX80 ads announce 16K RAM pack memory add-on and claim ‘over 20,000’ sold. 

Sinclair Computers Ltd becomes Sinclair Research Ltd. 

Clive denies ZX range will use flat-screen TV. 

ZX81 launched at £69.95 built, £49.95 kit. 16K RAM pack £49.95. 

ZX80 discontinued after sales of some 50,000 units. 

Printer announced for June. 

Sinclair Research pretax profits £818,000 on turnover of £4.6m Clive receives £242,000 in past year. 

ZX81 square root bug discovered

April: Despite Clive’s assurances, users still finding faults in RAM packs. 

BBC choose Acorn to develop their machine from Proton development

May: Sinclair offer secondary schools the opportunity to purchase one ZX81 and RAM pack at 46 per cent discount ‘4- or 5-inch flat screen will be incorporated into ZX81,’ says Clive

June: Sinclair Browne Ltd publishing company formed

July: ZX81 delivery delays of up to nine weeks reported

September: W. H. Smith start retail sales of ZX81. ZX Printer launched at £49.95

October: ZX81 sales exceed 100,000. 

Mitsui take ZX81 for sale in Japan American Express test-market mail order ZX81s

December: ZX81 sales exceed 250,000 with monthly production of 50,000. Faulty ROMs still being shipped. 

ICL announces plans to use Sinclair BASIC and flat-tube TV for ‘One-Per-Desk’ terminal/telephone workstation

1982
January: Acorn announce BBC Micro at £205 (16K R AM), £292 (32K)

February: Timex are licensed to manufacture and market Sinclair products in USA

March: Sinclair Research profits of £8.55m on turnover of £27.17m, including £383,000 government grants for flat scree.  Clive receives £1m ‘bonus’ on top of £13,000 salary for past year. Employees’ total salary £400,000. 

ZX81 discounted to $53 by some retailers in US. BBC Micro repriced to £299 and £399 for 16K and 32K respectively 

April: ZX Spectrum launched at £125 for 16K R AM, £175 for 48K, upgrade £60, ‘for delivery in two weeks’ ZX81 RAM pack reduced to £29.95. ZX Printer price increased to £59.95. Microdrive announced at £50, RS232 unit at £20

June: First Spectrum deliveries reported

July: Spectrums start to roll off production lines after initial ULA chip problems resolved. 

Spectrum approved for use in secondary schools under government support scheme. 

Annual three-week holiday at Timex halts Spectrum production. 

Timex launch TS1000 (ZX81 version) in US

August: ZX81 price cut to £49.95. Boots start retail sales of ZX81, Prism Microproducts to start wholesaling ZX81s 

September: Sinclair throws in free printer and LOGO language program with every Spectrum bought under government’s ‘Micros in Primaries’ scheme 

Currys and John Menzies start retail sales of ZX81

October: ZX81 sales exceed 500,000 worldwide. 

Sinclair claims adverts for Dragon computers used Spectrum details in misleading fashion. 

ASA upholds complaints against Spectrum ads on grounds of ‘appalling delays’ in delivery 

BBC delivery backlog cleared

November: Oric 1 launched at £99.95 (16K) and £169.95 (48K) 

W. H. Smith’s agree to take Spectrum on retail basis, order 6,000 but ‘only 300 turned up’

December: Spectrum order backlog still three months. 

Sinclair confirms new computer under development, to incorporate ‘flat screen’ and ‘dual microfloppies’. 

Sony launch Watchman pocket TV in US and Japan

1983
January: Spectrum launched at Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. 

Sinclair threatens to stop production Timex Dundee plant if strike over redundancies takes place. 

N. M. Rothschild & Son place 400,000 shares (10 per cent of equity) of Sinclair Research at £34 each with financial institutions, valuing the company at £136m Clive now owns 85 per cent, gains £13.6m as result of sale 

Oric computers become available. Jupiter Ace appears at £80, running Forth language 

February: Boots, John Menzies and Currys start retail sales of Spectrum, Prism starts wholesaling

First Sinclair Prize for Fiction won by Death is Part of the Process by Hilda Bernstein 

Computer division of Sinclair moves to Willis Rd, Cambridge

March: Sinclair Research profits of £13.8m on £54.53m turnover, including £1.lm flat TV grants. Clive’s salary £82,000. Spectrum sales 200,000. Searle heads Computer Division, and is MD. Clive heads Advance Products Division. Employs fifty-five staff, but claims creation of ‘more than 2000’ jobs. 

14,000 Spectrum faulty power packs recalled. 

Clive wins ‘Young Businessman of the Year Award’ from Guardian

April: Timex/Sinclair 2000 announced in the States, with 2040 printer. TS1000 sales 600,000 to date 

Sinclair drops plans for Prestel/teletext adaptor (promised at Spectrum launch)

May: Price cuts: Spectrum dropped to £99.95 (16K), £129.95 (48K), ZX Printer price cut to £39.95, ZX81 to £39.95 

Kempston launch Centronics standard printer interface (£45) and joystick interface (£25) for Spectrum. 

Micronet 800 launch Prestel/teletext adaptor for Spectrum 

16K to 48K upgrade (£60) becomes available one year after promised. 

Plans for Spectrum Modem scrapped on grounds of lack of profit margins. 

Microdrive launch announced for end of May, and ‘ZX84 to be a portable’ says Searle. 

Richard Cutting recruited to head ‘MetaLab’ research centre. 

Sony launch Watchman in UK at £250

June: Clive Sinclair knighted

July: ZX Interface I and Microdrives launched. Interface £29.95 with Microdrive(s), £49.95 without, Microdrives £49.95 each, cartridges £4.95 each - supply is rationed by Sinclair 

Milton Hall, bought for £2m, becomes the home of MetaLab

ZX81 shipments ‘in excess of 30,000’ a month but W. H. Smith cut back machine and software purchases owing to lack of demand

Timex announce TS1500 upgrade of TS1000 with 16K memory at $80, and TS2000 version of Spectrum at $150 (16K) and $200 (48 K)

Commodore and Texas Instruments cut prices on their machines BBC Micro (£400) unit sales top those of Spectrum in last three months

Issue 3 of Spectrum board, with redesigned ULA, is shipped, not compatible with some software for earlier issues August: Acorn launch Electron at £199

September: Sinclair flat-screen pocket TV launched at £79.95. Uses Polaroid battery packs at £3.30 each 

Interface II joystick and ROM cartridge add-on for Spectrum launched at £19.95 

Prism produce Spectrum Modem at £99.95

Sinclair claims Issue 3 board problems due to ‘unprofessional practices’ by software houses

October: Clive allocates £400,000 for ‘deluxe Knightsbridge dwelling’ construction from £1m ‘bonus’ from Sinclair Research for year ending March 1982. Y/E March
1983
took merely his salary of £82,000

December: Flat-screen TV price increased to £99.95 

£50,000 ad campaign started for TV, W. H. Smith’s order 7000 for Xmas, ‘only 300’ turn up

1984
January: Sinclair QL computer launched

February: Timex discontinue computer production in US

March: Sinclair Research profits £14.28m on turnover of £77.69m, including £309,000 government grants

April: Amstrad launch CPC464 at £200 with monochrome monitor, £300 with colour monitor. Oric Atmos 48K launched at £170 

Microdrives and Interface I go on retail sale