Clive Sinclair
English inventor and entrepreneur who pioneered home computing.
via Wikipedia: Clive Sinclair · Public domain
Clive Sinclair was an inventor and entrepreneur who brought pocket calculators and affordable home computers to British homes.[1] He founded Sinclair Radionics in 1961 and later Sinclair Research, which produced the ZX80, ZX81, and ZX Spectrum computers.[2] His career included both landmark successes and notable commercial failures such as the C5 electric vehicle.[3]
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Clive Marles Sinclair
- Born
- 30 July 1940
- Birthplace
- Ealing, Middlesex, England
- Died
- 16 September 2021
- Place of death
- London, England
- Occupation
- Entrepreneur, inventor
- Years active
- 1961−2010
- Children
- 3
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
After leaving school at 17, Sinclair worked as a technical journalist for four years to raise funds for his own company.[4] Sinclair then moved into home computers in 1980 with Sinclair Research Ltd, launching the ZX80 as the UK's first mass-market home computer under £100.[2] George Sinclair, his grandfather, was a naval architect who successfully made the paravane mine-sweeping device operational; both Sinclair's father and grandfather were engineers who had been apprentices at Vickers shipbuilders.[5] Sinclair Radionics Ltd was established by Sinclair in 1961, and in 1972 the Sinclair Executive, recognized as the world's first slimline electronic pocket calculator, was created.[2]
During his later years, Sinclair focused on personal transport innovations, one example being the A-bike, a folding bicycle.[3] Sinclair passed away on 16 September 2021 in London after a prolonged illness associated with cancer.[6]
What the cited sources add
The same source reports that Sinclair told the Guardian in 2010 that within two or three years of launching the ZX80 and ZX81, his company made £14 million profit in a year.[4] An Ars Technica article states that the ZX Spectrum debuted in a configuration priced as low as £125.[7] A 1982 Practical Compµting interview describes Sinclair's belief in "advanced design" as central to his success.[8] The same interview notes that Sinclair drew up the original specification of the Spectrum only a year before production began.[8]
The same obituary states that Sinclair admitted launching the C5 in January was poor timing because its batteries tended to fail in cold weather.[1]
References
- Bates, "Sir Clive Sinclair", The Guardian, 17 September 2021. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
- Wikipedia, "Clive Sinclair" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hayman, "Interview from Practical Compµting magazine, Volume 5 Issue 7", worldofspectrum.net, 1982; "Sir Clive Sinclair obituary", The Times, 16 September 2021; Micro Men, a one-off TV drama about Sinclair and Chris Curry. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Clive Sinclair" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sir Clive Sinclair obituary", The Times, 16 September 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Siddique, "Home computing pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair dies aged 81", The Guardian, 16 September 2021. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
- Wikipedia, "Clive Sinclair" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Clive Sinclair" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Siddique, "Home computing pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair dies aged 81", The Guardian, 16 September 2021; "Sir Clive Sinclair: Computing pioneer dies aged 81", BBC News, 16 September 2021; Machkovech, "RIP Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of UK's famed ZX Spectrum gaming computer", Ars Technica, 17 September 2021; Flarehty, "Global tributes pour in to Sir Clive Sinclair", EeNews Europe, 17 September 2021; Batchelor, "The games industry pays tribute to Sir Clive Sinclair", GamesIndustry.biz, 20 September 2021; "Tenacious Inventor", The Times, 18 Se en.wikipedia.org
- Machkovech, "RIP Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of UK's famed ZX Spectrum gaming computer", Ars Technica, 17 September 2021. facts only, no text reused. arstechnica.com
- Hayman, "Interview from Practical Compµting magazine, Volume 5 Issue 7", worldofspectrum.net, 1982. facts only, no text reused. worldofspectrum.net
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Clive Sinclair (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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