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Sinclair Research Ltdis a British consumer electronics company founded byClive SinclairinCambridgein the 1970s. In 1980, the company entered thehome computermarket with theZX80at £99.95, at that time the cheapest personal computer for sale in the United Kingdom. A year later, theZX81became available through retailers, introducing home computing to a generation, with more that 1.5 million sold. In 1982 theZX Spectrumwas released, becoming the UK's best selling computer, and competing aggressively againstCommodoreandAmstrad.
 | |
| Company type | Limited company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computing Electronics |
| Founded | Cambridge,England, UK (1973) |
| Founder | Clive Sinclair |
| Headquarters | , UK |
Key people | Nigel Searle,Director (1979 to 1986) Jim Westwood Rick Dickinson,Designer |
| Products | Sinclair ZX Spectrum Sinclair QL |
| Revenue | £102 millionGBP(1985) |
Number of employees | 140 (1980s) 3 (1990) 1 (1997) |
A combination of the failures of theSinclair QLcomputer and theTV80pocket television led to financial difficulties in 1985, and a year later Sinclair sold the rights to its computer products and brand name to Amstrad. Sinclair Research Ltd continued to exist as a one-man company, marketing Clive Sinclair's inventions.
History
edit| Period | Profit | Turnover |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 |  £131K
|
£640K |
| 1981 | £818K
|
£4.6m |
| 1982 | £8.55m
|
£27.17m |
| 1983 | £13.8m
|
£54.53m |
| 1984 | £14.28m
|
£77.69m |
| 1985 |  −£18m
|
£102m |
| 1988 to 1989 | −£183K
|
£8K |
| 1989 to 1990 | £618K
|
£5K |
| 1990 to 1991 | −£272K
|
£5K |
| 1991 to 1992 | −£593K
|
£1K |
| 1992 to 1993 | −£169K
|
£380K |
| 1993 to 1994 | −£195K
|
£511K |
| 1994 to 1995 | −£304K
|
£436K |
| 1995 to 1996 | −£123K
|
£256K |
Founding and early years
editOn 25 July 1961, Clive Sinclair founded his first company,Sinclair Radionics Ltd.inCambridge.The company developedhi-fiproducts, radios, calculators and scientific instruments.[2]When it became clear that Radionics was failing, Sinclair took steps to ensure that he would be able to continue to pursue his commercial goals. In February 1975, he changed the name of Ablesdeal Ltd (ashelf companyhe had bought in September 1973 for just such an eventuality) to Westminster Mail Order Ltd. The name was changed to Sinclair Instrument Ltd in August 1975.
Finding it inconvenient to share control after theNational Enterprise Boardbecame involved in Radionics in 1976, Sinclair encouragedChris Curryto leave Radionics, which he had worked for since 1966, and getSinclair Instrumentoperational. The company's first product was a watch-like Wrist Calculator.[3]
Development of the ZX80
editIn July 1977, Sinclair Instrument Ltd was renamedScience of Cambridge Ltd.Around the same time, Ian Williamson showed Chris Curry a prototypemicrocomputerbased on aNational Semiconductor SC/MPmicroprocessorand parts from a Sinclair calculator. Curry was impressed and encouraged Sinclair to adopt it as a product. In June 1978, Science of Cambridge launched itsMK14microcomputer in kit form.
In May 1979,Jim Westwood,Sinclair's chief engineer, designed a new microcomputer based on theZilog Z80microprocessor. Sinclair Instrument Ltd introduced the computer as theZX80in February 1980, as both a kit and ready-built.[4]
In November 1979, Science of Cambridge Ltd was renamed Sinclair Computers Ltd.
Commercial success and home computers
edit
In March 1981, Sinclair Computers was renamedSinclair Research Ltdand theSinclair ZX81was launched. In February 1982,Timex Corporationobtained a license to manufacture and market Sinclair's computers in theUSAunder the nameTimex Sinclair.In April theZX Spectrumwas launched. In July Timex launched theTS 1000(a version of the ZX81) in the United States. In March 1982 Sinclair Research Ltd made an £8.55m profit on turnover of £27.17m, including a £383,000 government grant to develop a flat screen.
In 1982 Clive Sinclair converted the Barker & Wadsworthmineral waterbottling factoryat 25 Willis Road, Cambridge, into the company's new headquarters. (Following Sinclair's financial troubles, the premises were sold to Cambridgeshire County Council in December 1985.)
In January 1983 the ZX Spectrum personal computer was presented at theLas VegasConsumer Electronics Show.In September the SinclairTV80pockettelevisionwas launched, but was a commercial failure.
In 1983 the company bought Milton Hall in the village ofMilton, Cambridgeshire,for £2m, establishing itsMetaLabresearch and development facility there.
In late 1983 Timex decided to pull out of the Timex Sinclair venture which, due to strong competition, had failed to break into the United States market. However, Timex computers continued to be produced for several years in other countries. Timex Portugal launched improved versions, theTS 2048and2068;that company also developed and launched theFDD3000,afloppy disksystem, although it was not well received by the market.[citation needed]
Mid-1980s developments
editTheSinclair QLwas announced on 12 January 1984, shortly before theApple Macintoshwent on sale.[5]The QL was nowhere near as successful as Sinclair's earlier computers. It suffered from several design flaws,[6]andYour Sinclairnoted that it was "difficult to find a good word for Sinclair Research in the computer press".
Fully working QLs were not available until late summer and complaints against Sinclair regarding delays were upheld by theAdvertising Standards Authorityin May of that year. (In 1982 it had upheld complaints about delays in shipping Spectrums.) Especially severe were allegations that Sinclair was cashing cheques months before machines were shipped. In the autumn Sinclair was still publicly predicting it would be a "million seller", and that 250,000 would be sold by the end of the year.[7]QL production was suspended in February 1985, and the price was halved by the end of the year.[8]
The ZX Spectrum+, a repackaged ZX Spectrum with a QL-like keyboard, was launched in October 1984 and appeared inWHSmith's shops the day after release. Retailers stocked the machine in large numbers in expectation of good Christmas sales. However, the machine did not sell as well as expected and, because retailers still had unsold stock, Sinclair's income from orders dipped alarmingly in January. The Spectrum+ had the same technical specifications as the original Spectrum. An enhanced model, the ZX Spectrum 128, was launched in Spain in September 1985, with development funded by the Spanish distributor Investronica.[9]The UK launch of this was delayed until January 1986, because retailers had large unsold stocks of the previous model.[10]
At the January 1985 Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, Sinclair re-entered the United States market, announcing the "FM Wristwatch Radio", anLCDwristwatchwith aradioattached.[11]However, the watch had several problems and never went into full production.
Sinclair had long had an interest in electric vehicles, and during the early 1980s he worked on the design of a single-seater "personal vehicle", eventually starting a company called Sinclair Vehicles Ltd in March 1983. He launched theSinclair C5electric vehicle on 10 January 1985, but it was a commercial disaster, selling only 17,000 units and losing Sinclair £7,000,000. Sinclair Vehicles went into liquidation later the same year. The failure of the C5, combined with those of the QL and theTV80,caused investors to lose confidence in Sinclair's judgement.
Amstrad acquisition of assets
editSinclair Research had reportedly intended a public offering of shares on 12 March 1985, but this offering was postponed, ostensibly due to turmoil in the microcomputer industry, withAcorn Computersundergoing refinancing, and other companies such as Sinclair's competitorOricand distributor Prism entering receivership. Although the collapse of the latter was not expected to have a significant effect on Sinclair's ability to reach customers, the observation was made that "Sir Clive would not be trying to go public unless he thought he could use the cash", indicating that the postponement of an offering whose timing would have been planned for optimal effect would be a setback for the company.[12]
On 28 May 1985, Sinclair Research had announced it wanted to raise an extra £10m to £15m to restructure the organisation. Given the loss of confidence in the company, the money proved hard to find. In June 1985,business magnateRobert Maxwellannounced a takeover of Sinclair Research, through Hollis Brothers, a subsidiary of hisPergamon Press.[13]However, the deal was aborted in August 1985.[1]
The future of Sinclair Research remained uncertain until 7 April 1986, when the company sold its entire computer product range, and the "Sinclair" brand name, toAmstradfor £5 million.[14][15]The deal did not include the company itself, only its name and products.
Spin-offs
editSinclair Research was reduced to anR&Dbusiness and aholding company,with shareholdings in several new "spin-off" companies formed to exploit technologies developed by the main company. These included Anamartic Ltd (wafer-scale integration), Shaye Communications Ltd (CT2mobile telephony) and Cambridge Computer Ltd (Z88portable computer andsatellite televisionreceivers).[1]
Return to invention
edit
Since 1986, the company has continued to exist, but in a completely different form. In 1993, 1994, and 1995 Sinclair made continuing losses on decreasing turnover. Investors became worried that Clive Sinclair himself was using his own personal wealth to fund his inventions. By 1990 the company's entire staff had been reduced to just Sinclair himself, a salesman/administrator, and an R&D employee. By 1997 only Sinclair himself was working at his company.
In 1992, the "Zike"electric bicycle was released, Sinclair's second attempt at changing people's means of transport. It had a maximum speed of 10 mph (16 km/h), and was only available by mail order. Much like theC5,the "Zike" was a commercial failure, and sold only 2,000 units. In 1999 Sinclair released the world's smallest radio, in the form of the "Z1 Micro AM Radio".
In 2003, the Sinclair "ZA20 Wheelchair Drive Unit" was introduced, designed and manufactured in conjunction with Hong Kong's Daka Designs, a partnership which also led to the SeaDoo Sea Scooter underwater propulsion unit.
July 2006 saw the release of theA-bike,afolding bicycleinvented by Sinclair, which was on sale for £200. It had been originally announced two years previously. In November 2010, Sinclair Research announced the X-1 two-wheel electric vehicle, which failed to reach production.
Products
edit- Wrist Calculator
TheWrist Calculatorwas released by Sinclair Instrument in 1977.[16]
- Multimeter DM2
A digitalmultimeterwith an LED display, measuring voltage (DC and AC), current and resistance, released in 1975.[citation needed]
- MK14
TheMK14(Microcomputer Kit 14) was acomputer kitsold by Science of Cambridge, introduced in 1977 for £39.95.
- ZX80
TheZX80home computerwas launched in February 1980 at £79.95 in kit form and £99.95 ready-built.[4]In November of the same year Science of Cambridge was renamed Sinclair Computers Ltd.
- ZX81
TheZX81(known as theTS 1000in the United States) was priced at £49.95 in kit form and £69.95 ready-built, by mail order.
- ZX Spectrum
TheZX Spectrumwas launched on 23 April 1982, priced at £125 for the 16KBRAM version and £175 for the 48 KB version.
- TV80
TheTV80was a pockettelevision.Launched in September 1983, it used a flattenedCRTunlike Sinclair's previous portable televisions. The TV80 was a commercial failure[17]selling only 15,000 units and not covering its development costs of £4m.[citation needed]
- Sinclair QL
TheSinclair QLwas announced in January 1984,[5]priced at £399. Marketed as a more sophisticated32-bitmicrocomputerfor professional users, it used aMotorola 68008processor. Production was delayed by several months, due to unfinished development of hardware and software at the time of the QL's launch.[18]Hardware reliability problems and software bugs resulted in the QL acquiring a poor reputation from which it never recovered.
- ZX Spectrum+
The ZX Spectrum+ was a repackaged ZX Spectrum 48K, launched in October 1984.
- ZX Spectrum 128
The ZX Spectrum 128, with RAM expanded to 128 kB, asound chipand other enhancements, was launched in Spain in September 1985 and the UK in January 1986, priced at £179.95.[10]
- Computer peripherals
Sinclair created various peripherals for its computers, including memory expansion modules, theZX Printer,and theZX Interface 1andZX Interface 2add-ons for the ZX Spectrum. A number of QL peripherals were developed by other companies but marketed under the Sinclair brand. External storage for the Spectrum was usually oncassette tapes,as was common in that era. Rather than an optionalfloppy disk drive,Sinclair instead opted to offer its ownmass storagesystem, theZX Microdrive,a tape-loop cartridge system that proved unreliable. This was also the primary storage device for the QL.
- X1 Button FM Radio
In June 1997 Sinclair Research released the X1 radio for £9.50. This miniature monoFM radio,powered by aCR2032battery, had a fixed volume and was inserted in the ear. The X1 radio had three buttons, an on/off switch, aScanbutton, and aResetbutton to restart the scanning process. It came with a short length of aerial and a detachable ear hook.[19]
Cancelled projects
editThe following computer products were under development at Sinclair Research during the 1980s but never reached production:
- LC3
Standing for "Low Cost Colour Computer", theLC3was developed during 1983 byMartin Brennanand was intended to be a cheap Z80-based games console implemented in two chips, usingROMand (non-volatile)RAMcartridges for storage. A multi-taskingoperating systemfor theLC3,with a full windowingGUI,was designed by Steve Berry. It was cancelled in November 1983 in favour of theQL.[18]
- SuperSpectrum
Intended to be a68008-basedhome computer,equipped with built-inZX Microdrive,joystick,RS-232and ZX Net ports. Sinclair'sSuperBASICprogramming language was originally intended for this model but was later adopted for the QL.SuperSpectrumwas cancelled in 1982 after the specification of theZX83(QL) had converged with it.[18]This project is not to be confused withLoki,which was described as the "SuperSpectrum" in an article in the June 1986 issue ofSinclair Usermagazine.
- Pandora
This was to be a portable computer with an integral flat-screenCRTdisplay. Initially to beZX Spectrum-compatible with a fasterZ80CPU,a built-inZX Microdriveand a new 512×192-pixel monochrome video mode. Due to the limited size of flat CRT that could be manufactured, a series of folding lenses and mirrors were necessary to magnify the screen image to a usable size. The project was cancelled after the Amstrad take-over, but thePandoraconcept eventually transformed into the Cambridge ComputerZ88.[20][21][22]
This project was intended to create a greatly enhancedZX Spectrum,possibly rivalling theCommodore Amiga.Lokiwas to have a 7 MHzZ80HCPU,128 KiB of RAM, and two custom chips providing much enhanced graphics and audio capabilities. After the Amstrad buy-out in 1986, two engineers who had worked on the project,John MathiesonandMartin Brennan,foundedFlare Technologyto continue their work.[21]
- Bob/Florin
According toRupert Goodwins,this was a project to produce an add-onfloppy diskdrive for theZX Spectrum.[23]
- Tyche
This codename was assigned to a QL follow-on project running from 1984 to 1986. Among the features associated withTychewere increased RAM capacity, internalfloppy diskdrives, thePsionXchangeapplication suite on ROM, and possibly theGEMGUI.[24]
- Janus
This name has been associated with a design concept for a "Super QL" based onwafer-scale integrationtechnology.[21][25]
- Proteus
This was rumoured to be a hypothetical portable version of the QL similar toPandora.[26]
- Sinclair X-1
In November 2010 Sinclair toldThe Guardiannewspaper that he was working on a new prototype electric vehicle, called theX-1,to be launched within a year. "Technology has moved on quite a bit, there are new batteries available and I just rethought the thing. The C5 was OK, but I think we can do a better job now."[27]The two-wheel X-1 was to have been available in July 2011 at the price of £595,[28][29]but failed to reach production.[30]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^abc"Sinclair: A Corporate History".Planet Sinclair.Retrieved15 December2006.
- ^Sinclair Radionics advertisement,March 1963,page 876,(further details atpage 877)Practical Wireless,as photo-archived at WorldRadioHistory, retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^"Sinclair Instrument Wrist Calculator".Centre for Computing History website.
- ^abClarke, Jerry (27 October 1980)."Micro Industry in U.K. Shows Stiff Upper Lip".InfoWorld.Vol. 2, no. 19. pp. 1, 35.ISSN0199-6649.
- ^abDenham, Sue (March 1984)."Sir Clive Makes The Quantum Leap".Your Spectrum.No. 2.Retrieved19 April2006.
- ^"QL News / SinclairWatch".Your Spectrum.No. 5. July 1984.Retrieved15 December2006.
- ^Roger Munford (September 1984)."Circe".Your Spectrum.No. 7.Retrieved15 December2006.
- ^"Timex/Sinclair history".ZQAOnline.Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2006.Retrieved15 December2006.
- ^"Kept in the Dark".CRASH.No. 22. November 1985.Retrieved15 December2006.
- ^ab"Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128".The Center for Computing History.Retrieved4 December2009.
- ^"FM Wristwatch Radio".Planet Sinclair.Retrieved9 December2009.
- ^Kewney, Guy (April 1985)."Still waters".Personal Computer World.pp. 101–102.Retrieved22 October2021.
- ^"Sinclair to Sell British Unit".The New York Times.The Associated Press.18 June 1985.Retrieved4 December2009.
- ^Graham Kidd (May 1986)."Amstrad has bought Sinclair Research".CRASH.No. 28. p. 7.Retrieved19 August2006.
- ^"Amstrad axes QL in Sinclair sell out".Sinclair User.No. 50. May 1986. p. 7. Archived fromthe originalon 24 September 2006.Retrieved19 August2006.
- ^"Wrist Calculator".Retrieved13 October2015.
- ^"Sinclair FTV1 (TV-80) miniature television receiver | Science Museum Group Collection".
- ^abcIan Adamson; Richard Kennedy."The Quantum Leap - to where?".Sinclair and the 'Sunrise' Technology.Retrieved15 December2006.
- ^"Planet Sinclair".Retrieved12 April2011.
- ^Rupert Goodwins (12 May 2002)."Re: Sinclair Loki Superspectrum".Newsgroup:comp.sys.sinclair.Usenet:[email protected].Retrieved23 November2006.
- ^abc"Loki, Janus, Pandora: The Unreleased Sinclair Computers".Planet Sinclair.Retrieved15 December2006.
- ^Rick Dickinson (16 July 2007)."Pandora to Z88".Flickr.Retrieved21 April2008.
- ^Rupert Goodwins (18 August 1999)."Re: Does anyone remember the Spectrum to Spectrum+ upgrade?".Newsgroup:comp.sys.sinclair.Usenet:[email protected].Retrieved23 November2006.
- ^Tony Tebby."Q-Emulator 2"."ql-users" mailing list.Retrieved15 December2006.
- ^Rick Dickinson (16 July 2007)."QL and Beyond".Flickr.Retrieved21 April2008.
- ^Rupert Goodwins (26 October 1999)."A little piece of Sinclair history..."Newsgroup:comp.sys.sinclair.Usenet:[email protected].Retrieved4 May2009.
- ^Simon Hattenstone, The Guardian (13 November 2010)."Whose bright idea was that?".London.Retrieved13 November2010.
- ^Coxworth, Ben (5 November 2010)."Sir Clive Sinclair's X-1 pedal-electric hybrid".gizmag.Retrieved5 February2017.
- ^Sinclair Research - Sir Clive Sinclair."Sinclair Research".Archived fromthe originalon 3 October 2015.Retrieved13 October2015.
- ^Dunn, Michael (8 December 2014)."Sir Clive Sinclair interview".EDN.Retrieved5 February2017.
Further reading
edit- Adamson, Ian; Kennedy, Richard (1986).Sinclair and the "Sunrise" Technology.London: Penguin Books. 224 pp.ISBN0-14-008774-5.
- Dale, Rodney (1985).The Sinclair Story.London: Duckworth. 184 pp.ISBN0-7156-1901-2.
- Tedeschi, Enrico (1986).Sinclair Archaeology: The Complete Photo Guide to Collectable Models.Portslade: Hove Books. 130 pp.ISBN0-9527883-0-6.