Timex Sinclair 1000
The Timex Sinclair 1000 (or T/S 1000) was the first computer produced by Timex Sinclair, a joint venture between Timex Corporation and Sinclair Research. It was launched in July 1982, with a US sales price of US$99.95, making it the cheapest home computer at the time; it was advertised as "the first computer under $100". The computer was aimed at regular home users. As purchased, the T/S 1000 was fully assembled and ready to be plugged into home televisions, which served as a video monitor. The T/S 1000 was a slightly modified version of the Sinclair ZX81 with an NTSC RF modulator, for use with North American TVs, instead of PAL for European TVs. The T/S 1000 doubled the onboard RAM from 1 KB to 2 KB; further expandable by 16 KB through the cartridge port. The T/S 1000's casing had slightly more internal shielding but remained the same as Sinclair's, including the membrane keyboard. Just like the ZX81, the T/S 1000 had black-and-white graphics and no sound.
| Also known as | T/S 1000 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Sinclair Research |
| Manufacturer | Timex Corporation |
| Type | Home computer |
| Release date | July 1982 |
| Introductory price | $99.95 (equivalent to $303 in 2022) |
| Discontinued | 1983 |
| Operating system | Sinclair BASIC |
| CPU | Z80 at 3.25 MHz |
| Memory | 2 KB (64 KB max. 56 KB usable) |
| Display | Monochrome display on television, NTSC; 24 lines × 32 characters; 64 × 48 pixels semigraphics mode |
| Power | 9V DC |
| Backward compatibility | ZX81 |
| Predecessor | ZX80 |
| Successor | Timex Sinclair 1500 |
It was followed in 1983 by an improved version, the Timex Sinclair 1500 (or T/S 1500) which incorporated the 16 KB RAM expansion and featured a lower price (US$80). However, the T/S 1500 did not achieve market success, given that by this time the marketplace was dominated by Commodore, Radio Shack, Atari and Apple.