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Radio Shack's First PC: 45 Years of TRS-80:
45 years ago, Radio Shack released the TRS-80 Micro Computer System, a 1977 personal computer that launched an era of low-cost PCs along with computers from Apple and Commodore. Here's what was special about it.
On August 3, 1977, Radio Shack introduced the TRS-80 Micro Computer System for $599.95—about $2,904 today adjusted for inflation. This complete system included a main unit with a built-in keyboard, a cassette recorder, and a monochrome monitor. After the introduction of the Model II later, this first model became known as the TRS-80 Model I. In 1977, the TRS-80's $599.95 price was a big deal. To compare, the Apple II sold for $1298 with 4K of RAM (that's a whopping $6284 today), and it didn't include a monitor or a storage device.
But you always get what you pay for: The original TRS-80 was a fairly primitive machine. Under the hood, the TRS-80 utilized its Z-80 CPU at 1.77 MHz and included a mere 4 kilobytes (KB) of RAM. Its video could only display 64 columns and 16 rows of monochrome text (all uppercase) with no support for true bitmapped graphics (although by using a block-shaped text character, you could create a 128×48 pixel display). It also did not include any sound hardware, but many programs used a trick to output simple sounds through the cassette port.
(Score: 3, Informative) by istartedi on Saturday August 06 2022, @05:18PM (2 children)
TRaSh-80.
They were among the many machines I desired, but we didn't get one and somehow I never got exposed to them in school or at anybody else's house. Our school had Atari-800s, and even NEC 8-bit micros but no TRSs.
Just looked it up--apparently 8-bit Ataris outsold the TRSs by 2 to 1 over their lifetime. I don't know what RS's market share was, but Commodore 64s alone sold at least 12-17 million units (not sure why the range is such a wide estimate) vs. 2.4 million for the entire run of TRS models.
This machine is remembered though. There must have been a floor model in every Radio Shak, and it was probably advertised heavily also.
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(Score: 3, Informative) by sjames on Saturday August 06 2022, @10:15PM
The TRS-80 was the affordable micro in 1977. Atari 800 wasn't out for another 2 years. The Apple cost more than twice as much. The PET was in between but didn't have nearly the exposure of the TRS-80 displayed in every Radio Shack in every mall.
Other options quickly eclipsed it in a price range that mere mortals could talk their parents into buying.
It's hard to believe so few years passed between RS selling one of the first home computers you didn't have to mail order and solder yourself and "You have questions, we have cellphones".
(Score: 2) by The Vocal Minority on Sunday August 07 2022, @05:43AM
Came for the Trash-80 joke, left satisfied...