The first firm to mass-market a microcomputer as a personal computer was ___________.
The first firm to mass-market a microcomputer as a personal computer was ___________.
The correct option is C Radio Shaks
The first firm to mass-market a microcomputer as a
personal computer was Radio Shaks.
In 1977, two years after the MITS Altair 8800,
Radio Shack introduced the TRS-80, one of the first mass-produced personal
computers. This was a complete pre-assembled system at a time when many
microcomputers were built from kits, backed by a nationwide retail chain when
computer stores were in their infancy. Sales of the initial, primitive US$600
TRS-80 exceeded all expectations despite its limited capabilities. This was
followed by the TRS-80 Color Computer in 1980, designed to attach to a television.
Tandy also inspired the Tandy Computer Whiz Kids (1982-1991), a comic-book duo
of teen calculator enthusiasts who teamed up with the likes of Archie and
Superman. Radio Shack's computer stores offered lessons to pre-teens as
"Radio Shack Computer Camp" in the early 1980s.
In the mid-1980s, Radio Shack began a transition
from its proprietary 8-bit computers to its proprietary IBM PC compatible Tandy
computers, removing the "Radio Shack" name from the product in an
attempt to shake off the long-running nicknames "Radio Scrap" and
"Trash 80" to make the product appeal to business users. Poor
compatibility, shrinking margins and a lack of economies of scale led Radio
Shack to exit the computer-manufacturing market in the 1990s after losing much
of the desktop PC market to newer, price-competitive rivals like Dell. Tandy
acquired the Computer City chain in 1991, and sold the stores to CompUSA in
1998.
In 1994, RadioShack began selling IBM's Aptiva line
of home computers. This partnership would last until 1998, when RadioShack
partnered with Compaq and created 'The Creative Learning Center' as a
store-within-a-store to promote desktop PCs. Similar promotions were tried with
'The Sprint Store at RadioShack' (mobile telephones) and 'PowerZone'
(RadioShack's line of battery products).
The first firm to mass-market a microcomputer as a personal computer was Radio Shaks.
In 1977, two years after the MITS Altair 8800, Radio Shack introduced the TRS-80, one of the first mass-produced personal computers. This was a complete pre-assembled system at a time when many microcomputers were built from kits, backed by a nationwide retail chain when computer stores were in their infancy. Sales of the initial, primitive US$600 TRS-80 exceeded all expectations despite its limited capabilities. This was followed by the TRS-80 Color Computer in 1980, designed to attach to a television. Tandy also inspired the Tandy Computer Whiz Kids (1982-1991), a comic-book duo of teen calculator enthusiasts who teamed up with the likes of Archie and Superman. Radio Shack's computer stores offered lessons to pre-teens as "Radio Shack Computer Camp" in the early 1980s.
In the mid-1980s, Radio Shack began a transition from its proprietary 8-bit computers to its proprietary IBM PC compatible Tandy computers, removing the "Radio Shack" name from the product in an attempt to shake off the long-running nicknames "Radio Scrap" and "Trash 80" to make the product appeal to business users. Poor compatibility, shrinking margins and a lack of economies of scale led Radio Shack to exit the computer-manufacturing market in the 1990s after losing much of the desktop PC market to newer, price-competitive rivals like Dell. Tandy acquired the Computer City chain in 1991, and sold the stores to CompUSA in 1998.
In 1994, RadioShack began selling IBM's Aptiva line of home computers. This partnership would last until 1998, when RadioShack partnered with Compaq and created 'The Creative Learning Center' as a store-within-a-store to promote desktop PCs. Similar promotions were tried with 'The Sprint Store at RadioShack' (mobile telephones) and 'PowerZone' (RadioShack's line of battery products).
