Historic information
The ZX81 was one of the first widely available computers in the UK, it succeeded the ZX80 which while affordable was only available as a developer kit. The ZX81 achieved affordability by having no sound and being in black and white despite coming out long after colour televisions became the norm. It had a membrane keyboard and had a cheaper kit version similar to the ZX80. The device only came with one Kilobyte of RAM but could be expanded to 16KB Unlike other computers of its time the ZX81 could be bought on the high street which made it not only affordable but accessible. It introduced many people across Europe to computing, such as the Oliver Twins, who hold the Guinness World Record for being the most prolific 8-bit game developers. |
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Many clones were made and sold in countries outside of Europe.
The company’s CEO, Sir Clive Sinclair wanted the ZX81 to be used in schools for the BBC’s Computer Literacy Project, and while it was the cheapest government approved option by far, 85 percent of schools adopted the BBC Micro.
Just a year following its release, the ZX81 was succeeded by the ZX Spectrum which became the best-selling home computer in Britain in the 1980s.
The company’s CEO, Sir Clive Sinclair wanted the ZX81 to be used in schools for the BBC’s Computer Literacy Project, and while it was the cheapest government approved option by far, 85 percent of schools adopted the BBC Micro.
Just a year following its release, the ZX81 was succeeded by the ZX Spectrum which became the best-selling home computer in Britain in the 1980s.
