1980 adverts

Acorn Atom - from Acorn Computer

This was Acorn's first advert for its first full consumer-oriented micro - the Acorn Atom. The Atom was a 6502-based machine and was available primarily in kit form. It was a nat...

In essence, the best in integrated circuit technology

First released around 1978, Altos is still offering the same machine - the ACS 8000 - in this advert from Altos's exclusive distributors in the UK, Logitek, based in Chorley, Lanc...

ABC 80 - The new powerful personal computer from Sweden

It would be easy to think of the personal computer revolution as being a purely US and UK thing, although these were by far the largest and most active markets. There were, howev...

The profesionals - Zenith Data Systems

Only months after Zenith had purchased the Heath Company from Schlumberger - forming Zenith Data System - comes this advert for a terminal and two micros. Actually, the Z89 micro...

Discover the secrets of the RAIR Black Box

It's an enigmatic advert from an enigmatic company - RAIR - for its original Black Box microcomputer. It looks to be in almost Cadbury branding, and in keeping with the chocolat...

BASF gives a good deal

As if to prove that absolutely everyone seemed to be having a go at the microcomputer industry, even German globo-chemico-corp BASF launched its own micro, ostensibly off the bat o...

What will you do with 12-year-old programmers when he reaches 16?

This is an interesting advert - gender stereotyping aside - in the form of its implied message, from a company that controlled much of the UK Schools' IT hardware market until it ...

Tuscan from Transam - Take a step up to your next computer!

Another entry in the "who?" category is this advert for the "Tuscan", from little-known British computer company Transam. It was yet another Z80-based system with an S-100 bus, b...

Britain's first complete computer kit - Sinclair ZX80

The ZX80, designed by Jim Westwood and launched on January 29th 1980, was Sinclair's first real computer and was the machine that helped really start the UK's home computer indust...

The Sharp MZ-80 Computer System - Now Available On Earth

This advert from Sharp continues the company's long-running theme which implies some sort of extra-terrestrial origin for its computer. This particular micro, which had actually...

HP85: It works like a big computer, only it's yours

HP's 85, launched this year, was billed as a "scientific desktop" computer. It was built around the company's own proprietary CPU, running at a surprisingly-slow 0.625MHz. However...

Rockwell AIM-65: As You Like It!

The AIM-65 - Advanced Interactive Monitor - was a development computer based upon MOS Technology's 6502, and as such it was a bit like an improved MOS/Commodore KIM-1. It was co...