A history of the microcomputer industry in 300 adverts

At £1,795 it can only be a Miracle

The Miracle, from Portico, was another British-built Z80 machine running CP/M, but is clearly aiming at the Osborne/Kaypro "luggable" market. When the Osborne 1 launched in 1981, it completely reset...

Future Computers: Here is your future

Future Computers Limited had been created in 1983 as a result of venture-capital funding from MGM/APA, and additional funding from BTG - the British Technology Group. Each had apparently invested £400,000...

The Galaxy 1 Computer - The cost-effective solution to your computer needs

The Galaxy 1, from Amersham-based Gemini Microcomputers, was a Z80 - or actually twin Z80, with one just to do the video - microcomputer which was based around the company's older multiboard system. ...

Informex Wicat Multi-User System 150

WICAT had been founded in 1980 as a division of the World Institute for Computer-Assisted Teaching, and concentrated on multi-user systems for educational institutions. The multi-user Wicat System 150,...

Nascom means performance. Nascom means solutions

Nascom - now owned by car-parts-to-semiconductors industrial conglomerate Lucas Industries, or at least its Lucas Logic division - is still trundling on with its re-packaged Nascom 2 motherboard in a...

TI's Home Computer. Unbeatable value. Unrivalled software.

The original TI99/4 had been released back in 1979 and was the first ever 16-bit home computer, running TI's own TMS 9900 CPU. It didn't get off to a good start in the UK, as early models of the micro...

NEC turns 28 years of computer experience to your personal advantage

NEC's PC-8000 - known as the PC-8001 outside of Europe - was part of NEC's PC-8000 range. It was only the third fully-assembled microcomputer specifically made for the Japanese market, being beaten only...

Imagine a totally portable computer that slips into your briefcase. We did

Considered by some as the first "true" laptop, Epson's HX-20 was actually designed - in 1980 - by Yukio Yokozawa, an employee of Seiko. It ran two Hitachi 6301 CPUs - a clone of Motorola's 6800 - at...

Oric-1: The computer challenge

The Oric was aimed very much at Sinclair's ZX Spectrum market, with even the models and price being similar. It actually started out significantly cheaper than the Spectrum at £99.95, compared to the...

Meet the OSI Challenger

Before it was even the Challenger 1 is this advert for Ohio Scientific Instruments' Challenger. It was an S-100-based system which derived from the company's earlier "Superboard 400" micro boards, however...

Equinox: A Word Processor, Data Base Manager and a computer all for £1,195

Parasitic Engineering of Albany, California, would go bust in 1983, but prior to that it had established a network of resellers for its Equinox micros throughout Europe. This included its UK dealer -...

Almarc and Vector Graphic - the complete partnership in microcomputers

Here's another straightforward advert from Vector Graphics' sole UK distributor, Almarc Data Systems of Nottingham. It shows nicely Vector's range of micros available at the time. They were all Z80-based...

Comart Communicator: The clean simplicity outside... conceals the pedigree inside

Comart - based in St. Neots, Huntingdon - was founded in 1976 by David Broad and John Lamb as a mail-order supplier of imported software and S-100 boards, but by 1977 was reselling products from Cromemco,...

RAIR - Terminals for your micro

This an very early advert for RAIR - the enigmatic British company which started out in 1978 as a time-share consultancy and supplier of terminals. It shows a range of peripherals that would be needed...

Acorn Computer: Four of a kind!

This is another early advert from Acorn Computer - the trading name of Cambridge Processor Unit Limited (CPU), a company set up in 1978 by Chris Curry - formerly of Sinclair Radionics and Science of Cambridge,...