Media File: 1982
Sinclair in the News

Financial Times
August 7, 1982

Sinclair drops microcomputer price to £50

By Jason Crisp

MR CLIVE SINCLAIR is cutting the price of his best selling ZX81 microcomputer from £70 to £50 from Monday. The ZX81, which was already the cheapest microcomputer in the world, has sold more than 450,000 units. It has been rumoured that Binatone plans to introduce a microcomputer at £50 later this year. The ZX81, manufactured by Timex in Scotland, is being sold in the U.S. for $99.95 and Mr Sinclair's company, Sinclair Research, said the latest reduction brought the price in line with that in the U.S.

The ZX81 is to become available through more retail outlets. W. H. Smith has been selling the computer for several months and is to be joined by Boots and Greens, a subsidiary of Debenhams.

Mr Sinclair said yesterday: "The personal computer is no longer the preserve of the hobbyist but rapidly becoming as much a household item as the TV or hi-fi."