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It would have failed to compete with the BBC B, which had the official backing of the BBC and a much more robust and upmarket feel. Different goals. The Spectr
by TheOtherHobbes 5y ago
It would have failed to compete with the BBC B, which had the official backing of the BBC and a much more robust and upmarket feel.
Different goals. The Spectrum was a set of engineering compromises, but they were chosen carefully and the result was an influential best-seller. A "better" machine would have been more expensive and less successful.
- klelatti 5y agoControversial opinion, but the BBC would have been better with a Speccy like graphics mode. The full colour modes on the Beeb left too little memory (12k) - when the Speccy had about 40k left.
- hakfoo 5y agoIt's interesting though that the Spectrum did well in the UK and USSR (as clones), but the almost identical Timex-Sinclair 2068 flopped hard in the US. I wonder if timing played a role-- it hit the market while the US video game/home computer market was already in a price-shock. Other competitors were in fire-sale mode (TI, Coleco) or at least seriously repositioning in the market (Atari). On the other hand, it's possible the Sinclair compromises weren't appealing to American customers who had a broader selection to choose from-- even if it was competitively priced, the 2068's "it's better than a ZX81" keyboard doesn't look good compared to a bargain-priced VIC-20 or TI-99/4A.