The computer is a Sinclair design; from 25 to 30 software packages will be offered at first.
Next month marks Timex’s entry into the personal computer market with an under-$100 unit the company feels will “break the price barrier we feel has stood in the way of millions of American consumers entering the computer field,” according to Dan Ross, vice president, computer products.
The Timex Sinclair 1000, to be sold through more than 100,000 consumer electronics outlets, computer specialty stores, department stores, and jewelry and drug outlets, will retail for $99.95. Manufactured by Timex in Scotland, it is an “enhanced” version of the Sinclair ZX81 computer currently being sold through direct mail, according to Ross, who said that the unit will be phased out of the course of the next year. The ZX81, also made by Timex, has hit a half-million units in sales in the last year, he said.
Initially from 25 to 30 software packages will be offered, priced from $10 to $20, including personal finance, recipes, games, and educational applications. Some business-oriented programs will be offered eventually, “but that’s not our initial thrust,” Ross explained.
Peripherals to be available with the computer in July include a $50 RAM pack to expand its memory capacity from 2K to 16K and a 32-column printer at $100. A $100 telephone model will be available in the fourth quarter. The computer is cassette-loaded and can hook up to a TV set as a display.
“Our distribution and price point mark a turning point in the marketing of computers in this country,” Ross declared. He estimated the personal computer market at more than 1.5 million units this year, up from about 1.1 million sold in 1981.”And by 1986 sales should increase by a factor of 10,” he added.
So far the home computer market has been hampered by price and availability, plus a need for qualified sales personnel, “intimidation” of consumers, and a lack of consumer understanding of what a computer can do, Ross said. He indicated a market potential for the Timex unit, the first of a line from the company, of more than 90 million households, 50 million students, and 100 million people working in offices.
Timex will begin national consumer ads for the new computer in August, and will offer retailers a training course on how to use and sell it and instructional point-of-purchase materials. The computer is backed by a 90-day warranty.