Tandy TRS-80 Model I
Tandy / Radio Shack
Specifications
- CPU
- Zilog Z80 @ 1.77 MHz
- Memory
- 4 KB standard, up to 48 KB with expansion interface
- Storage
- Cassette; 5.25" floppy via expansion
- Display
- External monochrome monitor, 64×16 text
- OS
- Level I/II BASIC; later TRSDOS
- Intro price
- $599
The machine
Sold through Radio Shack's thousands of retail stores, which gave it instant nationwide distribution that Apple and Commodore couldn't match. The clean separation of CPU box, keyboard, and monitor became a template later PCs followed.
Why it matters
Through 1979, the TRS-80 outsold every other PC. It was many people's first computer — and the first time a personal computer was just something you could walk into a mall and buy.