History

The TRS-80 was released by Tandy via their Radio Shack stores starting in August 1977. The standard TRS-80 was sold with: the 'Micro Computer System' (the computer itself) with a Z80 processor, 4 kB DRAM of memory, the Level I BASIC programming language in ROM, a 64-character-per-line video monitor and (in the original packaging) a cassettedrive for the storage and loading of data.

In 1979, Tandy had the largest selection of software available on the market. The TRS-80 was the best-selling computer line until 1982 and, according to one analysis, defeated the Apple II with a factor of just five units.

Later on, Tandy sold the newer TRS-80 Model II and also the Model III in 1980, sale of the Model I was discontinued shortly afterwards. This was also due to the fact that, just like with the sale of some accessories of the Apple II, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made their regulations stricter surrounding electromagnetic interference. The Model III was later succeeded by the TRS-80 Model 4.

Usage

Compared to the other computers sold at the time, the TRS-80 was by far the cheapest, with an introductory price of $599.95 (equivalent to approximately $3,000 as of 2023). Besides this, the TRS-80 was also known as the "Trash 80". This was also brought on by the fact that many modifications were being performed on the machine.

System

The TRS-80 itself is basically just a keyboard. The computer itself does not have a floppy, printer or serial interface. To be able to use this, there was the option to purchase the 'Expansion Interface', which was placed underneath the monitor.

The system had a standard memory of 4 kB, but it was expandable to a maximum of 48 kB RAM. It was also possible to connect up to four floppy or hard disk drive to the Tandy.