Sir Clive Sinclair (father of the Spectrum) dies

Sir Clive Males Sinclair, a British inventor, died on Thursday at the ripe old age of 81. He was a revolutionary for all his ingenuities, including the ZX Spectrum, which is the first home computer in history.

He was born in London in his 20s and founded Sinclair Radionics Ltd. in 1961. This company produced Microvision, a mini-television which fit into the palm of one's hand. He introduced the first pocket calculator shortly thereafter. Sinclair Instruments LTD was later renamed Science of Cambridge. In 1978, the MK14 computer was manufactured by this firm.

The ZX80 was launched two years later by the company. It was called the "cheapest computer in the world". It ran on the Basic operating system and had just one kbyte RAM. It had a black and white screen and a 1 Mhz processor. This computer is based on the ZX81.

The ZX Spectrum was introduced in 1982. The ZX Spectrum was also available in Basic, with 16 and 48 kbyte options, and was first introduced in the United Kingdom in April 1982. It was then extended to other countries in the months that followed. Sir Clive Sinclair had a vision: to make computers affordable for all. It was possible. He shouted "Dad! We need a computer to learn!" Thousands of kids and teens found the perfect excuse. The games ran almost exclusively on black backgrounds, despite their limited color palettes and low power. Titles like "The Great Escape" and "Army Moves", dazzled staff. In reality, the computer's use as an educational or business weapon was a residual function.

Although there were many successes, others followed this lead. One of these was in the automotive industry, where Sir Clive Sinclair is a pioneer of tomorrow's future. In 1985, Sinclair introduced the Sinclair C5, an electric tri-wheeler. It was too low to be approved for street use.