1979 adverts
Atari
1979
Atari 800: Personal Computer Systems
Released in 1979, the Atari 800 was originally designed as the better of two models, the other being the Atari 400. The 400 and 800 model numbers originally denoted the expected...
Exidy
January 1979
Introducing the personal computer you've been waiting for: The Exidy Sorcerer
Designed by Paul Terrell as a response to the Commodore PET and the Tandy/Radio Shack TRS-80, the frankly-enormous-looking Exidy didn't last for very long in its native US, being ...
Commodore
May 1979
Britain is a nation of PET lovers - the No. 1 computer in the UK
This advert shows the original Chiclet-style 4K PET, retailing for £520 inclusive - about £3,350 in 2024 terms. At around this time, the newer 4000 series - 16K and 32K models, wi...
Research Machines
May 1979
The Research Machines' 380Z - A unique tool for research and education
From at least 1978 through to mid 1982, Research Machines Limited, often abbreviated to RML, seemed to be selling the same one machine - a Z80-based system called the 380Z, or rat...
Midwest Scientific Instruments (MSI)
June 1979
MSI 6800 - At the root of every good system
The MSI 6800, from Midwest Scientific Instruments, was a Motorola MC6800-based system running at 2MHz on SWTPC's SS-50 bus. It was first launched in 1977. The MC6800 could nomin...
Tandy/Radio Shack
August 1979
New low price for Level 1 BASIC 4K RAM
The TRS-80 was one of the "1977 Trinity" - which also included the Commodore PET and the Apple II. They were the first three modern personal computers - micros that could be taken...
Apple
August 1979
Keen Computers takes you into the future with the Apple II
This is a third-party advert for the Apple II, one of the "1997 Trinity" of computers that changed the landscape of computing. Apple, true to form ever since, was the most expen...
Cromemco
August 1979
Cromemco System Three - the professional one
With a 4MHz Z-80A CPU and an expansive 21 card slots, the System 3 was particulary impressive in being able to address 16MB of memory - a fairly fantastical amount in 1979, where ...
Vector Graphic
August 1979
Almarc: Specialists in Vector Graphic
Vector Graphic was an American company set up in 1976 by husband-and-wife team Robert and Lore Harp. Vector's machines were distributed in the UK by Almarc Data Systems, a compa...
Acorn
September 1979
Three Trumps from Acorn: The Acorn Microcomputer
Acorn was founded as Cambridge Processor Unit (CPU) in November 1978 by Hermann Hauser, who had moved to the UK from Vienna at the age of 15, and Chris Curry - a former Science of...
Transam
September 1979
Transam: The Exciting New Triton Personal Computer
The Transam Triton was a British-built Intel 8080A-based kit computer that was first released in December 1978. Somewhat uniquely, it offered different levels of firmware with a...
Commodore
7th October 1979
Chessmate Electronic Chess Opponent - a player you'll find hard to beat at a price that's impossible to beat
As well as the PET/CBM range of computers and the continuation of the calculator line, which had survived the Calculator Wars of the mid 1970s, Commodore wasn't averse to putting ...
Zilog
December 1979
How to solve Systems problems - Zilog's MCZ family
Here's a rare advert from Zilog for its MCZ range of micros - everything from an entry-level floppy-disk-based model up to the MCZ 1/35 rack-mount machine with 10MB storage. The ...
Euro-Calc/Plessey
December 1979
EuroC - Simplicity is the watchword
Built for Euro-Calc by Plessey Microsystems, the EuroC was firmly aimed at businesses with its "computer as furniture" manufacture and extensive list of requisite business softwar...
Acorn
December 1979
Acorn Computer: Four of a kind!
It's another early advert from Acorn Computer - the trading name of Cambridge Processor Unit Limited (CPU), the company set up in 1978 by Chris Curry - formerly of Sinclair Radion...
RAIR
December 1979
RAIR - Terminals for your micro
This is a very early advert for RAIR - the enigmatic British company which started out as a time-share consultancy and supplier of terminals. It shows a range of peripherals that...