Timex, Sinclair, and the Clones

At the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, there was much fan-fare surrounding the official introduction of the Timex/Sinclair 2000. Dan Ross, Vice-President for Computer Products, and the entire Timex crew were there as well as Clive Sinclair and Nigel Searle from Sinclair Research in Britain. On a much lower key, a Sinclair clone and a look-alike that ran Forth were shown by smaller companies.

We’ve told you about the 2000 (Sinclair Spectrum) in previous issues of SYNC, so before looking at the other new hardware, let’s hear what Dan Ross has to say about marketing. Today, about 14,000 retail outlets are carrying the Timex/Sinclair 1000; Dan expects that number to increase to 25,000 or more by the end of 1983. Catalog showrooms, toy chains, and bookstores are all in Ross’s sight, but he also plans to target other channels of distribution, most notably schools and banks.

By June or July, says Ross, several programs will be instituted between Timex and different banks. He thinks that banks will be rushing to give away the 1000 as a premium for opening new accounts, especially when Timex introduces a $99 modem (expected in the first quarter of 1983).

Ross feels the modem is important because banks are very interested in developing at-home electronic banking services, but the terminal cost thus far has been prohibitive. A computer/modem combination with a list price of $185 could change all that.

Like Apple, Atari, and Tandy, Timex sees the educational market as having a vast, untapped potential. Our opinion is that Timex might be underestimating the amount of software, courseware, and handholding support that is necessary to get into the educational market in a major way. Time will tell.

How many Timex/Sinclair 1000 and Sinclair ZX81 computers have been sold? Of course, the number is a moving target, but as of the end of 1982, our best estimate is 600,000 Timex/Sinclair 1000s, and about the same number of ZX81s, although only 200,000 of them are in the United States.

Does that make the Sinclair the best selling computer in the world? We think so, and Clive Sinclair and Dan Ross certainly agree. However, both Commodore and Texas Instruments also claim to be number 1 in sales. Commodore people were telling everyone in sight at CES that they had produced one million Vic 20’s, while TI people were just saying the 99/4A was the best seller, period. No matter who you believe, 1983 should shape up to be a most interesting year.