SUCCESS OF TIMEX COMPUTERS

[gammaray]

Ok. I pose a question regarding the history of computing played out in the US.

Given that TS1000 was sold in the states through primarily Timex distribution that included a pharmacy called Eckerds.
That the following negatives affected perception
the 1016 Rampack crashed (and was an awkward attachment),
the 1000 overheated,
the membrane keyboard was a barrier to productivity,
the speed was much slower than ZX81 due to video constraints.
That the US was NOT primarily interested in assembling or learning something from computing, BUT GAMING!



If Timex had come out with the SPECTRUM FIRST (2068) requiring they expend and risk a significant amount of capital,
would it have been a hit like in Europe?
would they have seriously competed with Commodore?
and would the Timex / Sinclair partnership be something people remember like Apple?
and been a real introduction of computing for the commoner?

What if Timex had come out with the TS1500 first?

[gary2000]

My friend got one by opening a bank account... and it included a modem!

[swensont]

The ZX81 hit the US first, but it was sold via mail order only in Oct. 1982. The T/S 1000 hit the market in July 1982 and was competing against the Vic-20, TRS-80 Coco, and Atari 400/800. Yes a bunch of the market was for gaming (esp. kids). I think one of the major issues was that Timex did not market the T/S 1000 very much (esp. not on TV). People bought what they saw on TV.

Plus there was the issue of setting customer expectations. The cost of the T/S 1000 was low, but I don't think users were expecting a system with limitations. The ram pack wobble was an issue, but if someone took a minute to think about it, there were a number of easy fixes. Some people had no patience for this.

"the speed was much slower than ZX81 due to video constraints."

Not sure where you got this, but I had the ZX81 and the T/S 1000 and they were the same speed.

The T/S 2068 faced the same issue was the T/S 1000. Timex did not advertise the system very much. There were lots of ads for Commodore, Atari, and even T/I, but very few ads for Timex. Plus there was the issue of 1983/84 being the two years that everyone came out with a home computer and flooded the market and Timex got lost in the crowd. There was also very little software support. Timex released software, but hardly anyone else did. There was a huge game market for the Spectrum, but very few of those games make it to the T/S 2068.

[Paul]

"the speed was much slower than ZX81 due to video constraints."

Not sure where you got this, but I had the ZX81 and the T/S 1000 and they were the same speed.

I guess this is the common misunderstanding.
In Europe TS1000 is used for any Zeddy using 60Hz video while in reality it wasn't limited to 60Hz but had 2K RAM and HF Protection in the case (and yes, also different names for rubout and newline )
ZX81 is used for any 1K 50Hz Video machine.
These names were so often misused that the real differences are known only by a handful of users.
kind regards Paul

[PokeMon]

These names were so often misused that the real differences are known only by a handful of users.
kind regards Paul

Sounds a bit sarcastic.
So despite you, who are the other four guys ?

[Paul]

The users of this forum

[1024MAK]

Yes but, no but, yes but...

The ZX81 is a TS1000. The TS1000 is a ZX81...

Either / both can run at the video at 50Hz or 60Hz.

Of course, when running the video at 60Hz, compute and display mode does have less time for computing. But the CPU runs at the same speed. So FAST mode runs at the same speed.

Mark

[gammaray]

I could only afford the Timex Sinclair 1000. AFTER I already bought it, Commodore dropped the price of C64 or VIC-20 to match Timex at $99.95.

Then Timex lowered their price to $69...

[gammaray]

Yes but, no but, yes but...

The ZX81 is a TS1000. The TS1000 is a ZX81...

Either / both can run at the video at 50Hz or 60Hz.

If you have SKILLZ...

Out of the box they were either PAL or NTSC. In the States, 60hz meant they wuz slower.

[dessony]

If the TS1000 or the ZX81 is built for the PAL then the R30 is missing. If the TS1000 or the ZX81 is built for the NTSC then the R30 is on the board.

DesSony