Description
The ZX Spectrum (UK /zɛd ɛks ˈspɛktrəm/) is an 8-bit personal home
computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research
Ltd.
Referred to during development as the ZX81 Colour and ZX82, the
machine was launched as the ZX Spectrum by Sinclair to highlight the
machine's colour display, compared with the black and white of its
predecessor, the ZX81. The Spectrum was ultimately released as eight
different models, ranging from the entry level model with 16 KB RAM
released in 1982 to the ZX Spectrum +3 with 128 KB RAM and built in
floppy disk drive in 1987; together they sold in excess of 5 million
units worldwide (not counting numerous clones).
The Spectrum
was among the first mainstream-audience home computers in the UK,
similar in significance to the Commodore 64 in the USA. The
introduction of the ZX Spectrum led to a boom in companies producing
software and hardware for the machine, the effects of which are still
seen; some credit it as the machine which launched the UK IT industry.
Licensing deals and clones followed, and earned Clive Sinclair a
knighthood for "services to British industry".
The Commodore 64, Oric-1 and Atmos, BBC Microcomputer and later the
Amstrad CPC range were rivals to the Spectrum in the UK market during
the early 1980s. Over 24,000 software titles have been released since
the Spectrum's launch and new titles continue to be released--over 100
in 2012. In 2014, a bluetooth keyboard modelled on the Spectrum was
announced.
Specifications
ZX Spectrum Specifications Instances
External links
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