Timex Sinclair 1000 (1982)

Timex Sinclair 1000

🥇First Computer Under $100

The Timex Sinclair 1000, launched in July 1982, was a masterclass in aggressive, budget-conscious engineering, becoming the first fully assembled computer in the United States to break the $100 price barrier. A slightly Americanized version of a popular British machine, it featured a basic processor and a meager 2KB of memory—barely enough to hold a few paragraphs of text. To keep costs at rock-bottom, Timex used a notoriously finicky, flat membrane keyboard that offered absolutely no tactile click, requiring users to rely on a shortcut system where a single keypress generated entire programming commands. It completely lacked color, sound, and a dedicated monitor, instead hijacking the family television to produce a famously jittery black-and-white display. Despite these limitations—and an infamous expansion pack that could crash the entire system if it was even slightly nudged—the computer sold over 600,000 units in its first six months, proving that Americans were willing to put up with almost any mechanical quirk to join the digital revolution for the price of a fancy dinner.

Source: John Babina III