Sinclair plans low-cost system

SINCLAIR plans a low-cost development system to encourage software houses to write material for its new ‘professional’ machine.
“It is our intention that there should be, for our next computer, a relatively low-cost software development system available — priced around £1,000,” said Sinclair’s managing director Nigel Searle.

“Keeping the serious but small software house working on Sinclair products is very important to us. Something like a Vax system is clearly beyond the realms of some houses and developing software on the machine itself is no fun. So, we have put out a contract to develop such a system for a reasonable sum of money.

The announcement is bound to increase speculation that the new professional computer — code-named the ZX83 — will not be based around the Z80-chip, possibly a 16-bit device. Nigel Searle: “We would use a processor other than the Z80 when we can get a good price — a 16-bit device might cost as much as £10.

“Certainly we have looked at them all. We spent a lot of time looking at the 16032 which Acorn has gone for, but it is perhaps still a bit early. There is a danger of choosing a processor which does not become a standard and is not supported by the industry.”
At the same time Nigel Searle reaffirmed Sinclair’s commitment to the Spectrum machine, emphasising that the ZX83 — expected to be launched in ‘early 1984 — would not be a replacement for it.

“We have considered the options available to us, but at the present there are no plans for any new low-cost machine.
“Obviously we would consider it much more keenly if Spectrum sales showed signs of dropping off, or if we felt that a competitor was seriously on the verge of damaging our sales. But, at the moment, I don’t see anything on the horizon that might do that.
“Even so, we could not replace the Spectrum except with something completely software compatible.