Kaypro Advert - January 1984

Microcomputer adverts are never shy of going with the most obvious simile or metaphor, and this one certainly does that with the placement of an actual Winchester shotgun against a Kaypro 10 - the 10MB Winchester hard-disk version of the Kaypro "luggable".

The model 10 was the top-of-the-range Kaypro, and was a follow-up to the original Model 2, which had been launched in 1982 as a direct competitor to Osborne's Osborne 1.

The Kaypro 2 and its successors were successful enough that they contributed to the collapse of Osborne.

Although that's often credited to Osborne announcing a new and better computer, thus killing sales of its current model - the famous Osborne Effect - Kaypro was also significantly eating into its sales as its machine had a bigger screen and was sturdier in construction.

The Kaypro 10 retailed for £2,875, or about £11,600 in 2024. That's a not-insignificant £1,500 (£6,090) premium over the entry-level model.