Technology | Nostalgia | 1980s
Remembering the Sinclair QL: A Bold Yet Flawed 1980s Home Computer
Cost-cutting limited the success of a machine that attempted to leap ahead with the 68008 processor and Microdrives
This is an updated version of an article I wrote a few years ago for some of my now-defunct blogs.
Leaping Ahead
In the UK, Sinclair Research had great success with low-cost home computers in the early 1980s, including the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum.
In 1984, they attempted to move upmarket with the release of the QL. The letters stood for ‘Quantum Leap’, and the machine featured significantly more advanced hardware.
As the following advert shows, Sinclair thought the machine could rival computers such as the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh — for a fraction of the price.
