Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Dell, IBM, HP, Samsung…Tandy? Technology history is full of stories of companies that survived industry disruptions and emerged stronger. And many that disappeared spectacularly, receding into little more than a footnote. Such is the story of Tandy and its TRS-80 pocket computer.
Sold exclusively at RadioShack, the TRS-80 represents a new generation of small, lightweight personal computers that can be taken on the go. Of course, in 2024, no one will have any questions about the personal computers (smartphones) that we all carry with us everywhere, but in the early 1980s, these devices seemed like the future. Popular Science The November 1980 issue’s cover also featured these gadgets, with columnist V. Elaine Smay writing, “At home, in the office or on the road, these little computers keep your mind working wherever you are.”
If you’ve never heard of Tandy or the TRS-80 pocket computer, you’d be forgiven. The company was named after Dave Tandy and his son Charles, who ran the Hinckley-Tandy Leather Company in Texas. Yes, that leather goods company eventually acquired Cost Plus Imports (later to become Pier 1), Color Tile, Leonard’s, and Radio Shack in 1962. It was the Radio Shack acquisition that marked Charles Tandy’s foray into the technology industry.
In 1977, with the release of the Commodore PET 2001, Apple II, and TRS-80 desktop, fully assembled, programmable computers became readily available to just about anyone. everyoneBefore that, enthusiasts had to build their own minicomputer kits. Now, of course, everyone knows of Apple, but in 1977 Tandy was just as important as Apple is today. Tandy also had a distribution system built in through the hugely successful Radio Shack, which had more stores than McDonald’s. They owned 60% of the PC market and dominated early personal computer sales.
So what went wrong? Popular Science In this video, host Kevin Lieber not only unravels the history of the TRS-80 pocket computer, but also uses it and gets slowly frustrated. Can Kevin find the right cable to play games on the TRS-80? Why don’t we all scroll through Instagram on our Tandy smartphones? The answers may explain why some companies get forgotten over time, no matter how successful or influential they were once.
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