1982 adverts

Sinclair ZX81 Personal Computer - the heart of a system that grows with you

This advert for the ZX81 - which launched in the UK in March 1981 - was part of an impressive four-page spread which featured in several computer magazines of the day. The ZX81 was ultimately a successful...

The new micro from LSI - Putting Britain back in front

It's another random entry in the "who?" category, from paid-up flag-flying British company LSI - not to be confused with Lear Siegler Incorporated, a US terminal manufacturer - which claims in the advert...

The if800 - Colour in your computing

The awkwardly-named if800 from OKI - first launched in 1980 - was on the face of it yet another conventional Z80A-based micro, however it differed from many by coming with an integrated printer - thanks...

The systems: Rader 1000 and Rader 2000

Even though Rade Systems of Ballards Lane in north London ran this advert for at least a year - despite being full of grocer's apostrophes - the company itself is another of those that has managed to...

A powerful multi-user system for under £6,600

As more adverts are added to the collection, the challenge is on to discover more and more obscure microcomputers that time forgot. And this is defintely one such computer: the Clenlo Ace Multi-User...

Introducing performance to the microcomputer-based small business system

On the face of it, the PBM-1000 is yet another standard business micro, what with its Z80A processor, 80K RAM, 5¼" floppy disk drives and CP/M. Possibly designed by IMSAI 8080 co-designer Joe Killian,...

Seeing is believing: ACT Sirius 1

This advert for the ACT Sirius 1 - a machine designed by 6502 and Commodore PET legend Chuck Peddle, and of which Peddle said "Eats Apples and **cks PETs" - appeared around twelve months before the IBM...

Osborne 1: The only personal business computer you can take anywhere

The Osborne 1, launched at the West Coast Computer Faire in March 1981 - with the first machine shipping in July - is often credited as being the first computer designed specifically to be portable, despite...

Adler 1630: Because computer professionals need a professional computer

This computer doesn't seem to exist, or at least there doesn't seem to be any information on it, although ribbons for its printer still seem to be available. Also available, according to the advert,...

Torch - The Computer to Set the World Alight

After former chartered accountants Martin Vlieland-Boddy and Peter Harris had been applying their finance-gained skills to bring technology to the world of management consultancy, they decided to start...

Exidy: Announcing the new Sorcerer

The Sorcerer, launched in 1978, was originally manufactured by Exidy of Sunnyvale, California, but was cancelled in 1979. It was however popular enough in Europe and ended up being built under licence...

Have you got what it takes to take what we've got?

This advert from Canon was aimed at potential resellers rather than buyers and was for the Canon CX-1, a machine first announced in 1981. Following the announcement, Canon went rather quiet about the...

The IBM Personal Computer: A tool for modern times

This is an advert for the original 5150 IBM PC, possibly the model which more than any other defined personal computers for a generation or two. Even the term "personal computer" (or PC), which had...

Apple III: Now that you've seen their first generation, take a look at our third

It's a bit spurious to assume that the third generation of anything is necessarily better than the first of something else, especially if your third version is essentially the same as your first from...

Vector 3: Computers for the advancement of society

There weren't many micro companies of the era that claimed that their products were for the advancement of society, but here is such a mission statement from Vector Graphic in this US advert for its Vector...