Editing Clive Sinclair (section)

===Sinclair Research===
{{Main|Sinclair Research}}
[[File:ZX80.jpg|thumb|The ZX80 home computer was launched in 1980.]]

While Sinclair was dealing with the NEB and had seen problems developing, he had a former employee, [[Christopher Curry (businessman)|Christopher Curry]], establish a "lifeboat" company, called Science of Cambridge Ltd, in July 1977, called such as they were located near [[University of Cambridge]], and planned for Curry to develop technology from ideas from the school.<ref name="corphist"/><ref name="dale science of cambridge">{{harvnb|Dale|1985|pages=89–94}}</ref> An early product from Science of Cambridge was a wrist calculator kit, which helped to keep the company financially afloat.

By the time that Sinclair had left Radionics and joined Curry at Science of Cambridge, inexpensive [[microprocessor]]s had started appearing on the market. Sinclair came up with the idea of selling a microprocessor teaching kit, and in June 1978, Science of Cambridge launched the [[MK14]] kit, based on the National [[National Semiconductor SC/MP|SC/MP]] chip, in June 1978.<ref name="dale science of cambridge"/> As Sinclair began working on the MK14's successor, Curry was in discussions with [[Hermann Hauser]], and opted to leave Science of Cambridge to co-found [[Acorn Computers]] with Hauser in 1978. Acorn became a direct competitor to Sinclair's products, with the Acorn System 75 as its answer to the MK14, effectively an MK14 chip with a keyboard.<ref name="dale science of cambridge"/>

To follow up on the MK14, Sinclair started looking to build a personal computer. At around that time (1979), premade systems such as the [[Commodore PET]] cost about £700, and Sinclair believed he could get the price of a system to under £100.<ref name="dale zx80"/> Keeping the cost low was also essential for Sinclair to avoid his products from becoming outpriced by American or Japanese equivalents as had happened to several of the Sinclair Radionics products.<ref name="nytimes 1981">{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/12/business/inventor-trying-again-in-consumer-electronics.html | title = Inventor; Trying Again In Consumer Electronics | first = Elizabeth | last = Bailey | date = 12 April 1981 | accessdate = 18 September 2021 | work = [[The New York Times]] }}</ref> In May 1979, [[Jim Westwood]], a former Sinclair Radionics employee Sinclair hired for this new company, started the [[ZX80]] project at Science of Cambridge; it was launched in February 1980 at £79.95 in kit form and £99.95 ready-built.<ref name="dale zx80">{{harvnb|Dale|1985|pages=95–108}}</ref> The ZX80 was immediately successful, and besides sales in the UK, Sinclair also sought to introduce the computer into the United States.<ref name="dale zx80"/> Science of Cambridge was subsequently renamed Sinclair Computers Ltd, and then again to Sinclair Research Ltd.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/ap12986/sinclair-research-ltd|title=Sinclair Research Ltd|work=Science Museum|accessdate=17 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29985976|title=Sir Clive Sinclair: Tireless inventor ahead of his time|work=BBC News|date=16 September 2021|accessdate=17 September 2021}}</ref>

On hearing that the [[BBC]] was preparing to run a television series to teach viewers about computing and programming, both Sinclair and Curry pressured the BBC to choose computers from their respective companies to use as the primary tool. This pushed the development of the [[Sinclair ZX81]] ahead as Sinclair's standard for the BBC. The ZX81 was launched at £49.95 in kit form and £69.95 ready-built, by mail order. Ultimately, the BBC chose Acorn and standardized on a successor to the [[Acorn Atom]]—originally named Acorn Proton, but ultimately branded as the [[BBC Micro]].<ref name="dale zx80"/> Despite losing out to the BBC, Sinclair's push had established the ZX80 and ZX81 as one of the most-sold brands of computers across the UK and the United States as well as establishing a deal with distribution in Japan with [[Mitsui]].<ref name="dale zx80"/> A number of user groups, magazines and third party accessories for both computers started to appear.<ref name="dale zx80"/>

[[File:ZXSpectrum48k.jpg|thumb|right|The [[ZX Spectrum]] was introduced in 1982.]]

In February 1982, [[Timex Group|Timex]] obtained a licence to manufacture and market Sinclair's computers in the United States under the name [[Timex Sinclair]]. In April, the [[ZX Spectrum]] was launched at £125 for the 16 kB RAM version and £175 for the 48 kB version.<ref>{{harvnb|Dale|1985|pages=109–118}}</ref> It was the first computer in the ZX line to support colour output. The ZX Spectrum remained more affordable than other computers on the market, including the BBC Micro, [[VIC-20]], and [[Apple II]], and during a time of recession and high unemployment in the UK, was positioned by Sinclair as a low-cost home computer for productivity applications.<ref>{{citation|title=ZX Spectrum:the legacy of a computer for the masses|last=Stuart|first=Keith|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2012/apr/23/zx-spectrum-computer-masses-games|access-date=8 February 2019|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=23 April 2012|language=en-GB}}</ref> However, it also proved to be a popular gift for teenagers and young adults that year. This led to a number of these young people learning to program on the ZX Spectrum, using its newfound colour support, to make quirky video games inspired by [[British humour]] which they sold through word of mouth and mail order. So-called "bedroom coders" using the ZX Spectrum gave rise to the start of the [[Video games in the United Kingdom|UK's video game industry]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/sep/17/clive-sinclair-zx-spectrum-offbeat-brilliance | title = Clive Sinclair and the offbeat brilliance of the ZX Spectrum | first = Keith | last = Stuart | date = 17 September 2021 | accessdate = 17 September 2021 | work = The Guardian }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2004/jan/24/games.gameswatch |first=Rhianna|last= Pratchett| title = Death of the bedroom coder | date = 24 January 2004 | access-date = 30 September 2019 | work = The Guardian }}</ref> By 1984, over 3,500 games had been released for the ZX Spectrum.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-the-zx-spectrum-helped-the-1980s-become-video-gamings-most-creative-decade-042/ | title = How the ZX Spectrum Helped Make the 80s Video Gaming's Most Creative Decade | first= Tom | last= Lean | date = 11 February 2016 | access-date = 18 September 2021 | work = [[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] }}</ref>

The popularity of the ZX Spectrum spread to Western Europe. While Sinclair could not export into Eastern European countries still within the [[Soviet bloc]] at the time, numerous low-cost [[video game clone|clones]] of the ZX Spectrum sprang up within these countries, further boosting the start of video game development by similar bedroom coders.<ref>{{cite book | last = Švelch | first = Jaroslav | chapter = Keeping the Spectrum alive: Platform fandom in a time of transition |title 
 =Fans and Videogames | pages = 57–74 | publisher = [[Routledge]] | date = 2017 | isbn =9781138679672 | editor1-first = Melanie | editor1-last = Swalwell | editor2-first= Helen | editor2-last = Stuckey | editor3-first = Angela | editor3-last = Ndalianis }}</ref> The ZX Spectrum went on to become the UK's most-sold computer, selling more than 5 million units before it was discontinued in 1992.<ref name="arstech obit"/> Sinclair Research computers accounted for 45% of the British market in 1984, including those from British and American companies.<ref name="nytimes 1985"/>

The continued success of the computer market continued to help boost Sinclair Research's profit. In 1982, the company had a pre-tax profit of £9.2 million on a turnover of £27.6 million. Sinclair himself was estimated to a net value of over £100 million in 1983, two years after launching the first of the ZX computers.<ref name="dale">{{harvnb|Dale|1985|pages=119–115}}</ref> With the additional funds, Sinclair converted the Barker & Wadsworth mineral water bottling factory into the company's headquarters in 1982.<ref>{{harvnb|Dale|1985|page=114}}</ref> In January 1983, American news magazine ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named the personal computer the 1982 "[[Time Person of the Year|Machine of the Year]]," and Sinclair was one of six individuals from the computing industry who were spotlighted in the accompanying feature.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=A New World Dawns |date= 3 January 1983 |volume=121 |issue=1 |page=12 |url=https://time.com/vault/issue/1983-01-03/page/13 |magazine=Time |access-date=4 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Golden |first1=Frederic |title=Other Maestros of the Micro |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,953634,00.html |magazine=Time |date=3 January 1983}}</ref>