Along with Commodore and Apple, Tandy/Radio Shack was one of the three companies that began the personal computer revolution when its TRS-80 computer was introduced in 1977, followed by the TRS-80 Color Computer in 1980, and the TRS-80 Model 100 portable computer in 1983.
Unfortunately, although it was a pioneer and a force in the early home computer industry, with as much as sixty percent of the market at one time, it couldn't compete with the onslaught of the IBM PC and PC-compatibles that were produced in the 1980s.
Tandy Corporation originated as a leather goods company in 1919. It purchased RadioShack, a craft retail company, in 1963. In 2000, long after the company ceased production of its computer products, it dropped the Tandy name and became the RadioShack Corporation.
Beginning in 1977, Tandy released several computer lines under the TRS-80 and Tandy brand.
Its first was the TRS-80, the first of which later became known as the TRS-80 Model 1, as it later released other models under the TRS-80 brand, some of which were unrelated and incompatible with the original Model 1 and its replacements. The TRS-80 Micro Computer System included a QWERTY keyboard, floating-point BASIC, and a monitor. The first units sold for $600 and, by 1979, the TRS-80 had the largest selection of software in the microcomputer market.
Also released in 1979, the Model II was designed for the small-business market. Despite its name, the Model II was an entirely different system from the Model I. It was succeeded by the TRS-80 Model 12, Model 16, Model 16B, and Tandy 6000. The Model II was actually preceded by the Tandy 10, the company's first design for the business market, but the Tandy 10, released in 1978, was quickly discontinued.
In 1980, Model III was released. Mostly compatible with Model I, it included a built-in lower case, a better keyboard, and the cable spaghetti was eliminated. Production of Model I was discontinued at the time of the release of Model III.
A short-lived TRS-80 model was the TRS-80 MC-10. Intended as a low-cost, entry-level alternative to its TRS-80 Color Computer released later that same year, it was discontinued a year later. In late 1980, Tandy released the TRS-80 Color Computer (Tandy Color Computer, CoCo), which was produced from 1980 to 1991, and included three models CoCo 1, CoCo 2, and CoCo3, each of which was compatible with the other.
TRS-80 Model 12 replaced the Model II in 1982, but it was itself quickly replaced by the Model 16 and 16B, which were largely upgrades to the Model II. An upgrade kit was available for Model II systems, adding a 6 MHz, 16-bit Motorola 68000 processor and memory card.
Model 4 replaced Model III in April of 1983, offering a faster CPU, a larger video display, larger keyboard, and was upgradable to 128KB of RAM. It was compatible with Model III software.
Tandy also released the TRS-80 Model 100 in 1983. One of the first notebook-style computers on the market, the Model 100 was actually produced by Kyocera and first sold in Japan as Kyotronic 85, but sold through Radio Shack stores in the US and Canada as the TRS-80 Model 100.
The Tandy 6000 was a 1985 upgrade from TRS-80 Model 16B, adding an internal hard drive and switching to an 8 MHz 68000, and the company also offered 8.4 MB, 15 MB, 35 MB, and 70 MB external hard drives, up to 768 KB RAM, and up to six serial ports. Although the Tandy 6000 was more closely related to the TRS-80, Tandy had decided to move away from the Radio Shack TRS-80 label. By this time, the IBM PC and several PC-compatibles were eating at Tandy's share of the marketplace.
The Tandy 2000 was put on the market in September of 1983 as a way of moving into the MS-DOS market. Based on the 8 MHz Intel 80186 microprocessor running MS-DOS, the Tandy 2000 ran significantly faster than the IBM-compatibles. However, while it was marketed as being compatible with the IBM XT, the Tandy 2000 differed enough that most existing PC software that was not strictly text-oriented failed to work properly. The Tandy 2000 carried both the "Tandy" and TRS-80" logos on its case, as it began the phaseout of the TRS-80 brand.
The Tandy 2000 was replaced by the Tandy 1000 in 1984. Having corrected the incompatibilities noted in the 2000 model, the Tandy 1000 was truly compatible with the IBM PC and supported the PCjr graphics standard.
The Tandy 1000 sold more units in the first month than any other Tandy product. Although marketed as a business computer, it was well-received in the home computer market. The Tandy 1000 line included the Tandy 1000/A/HD, SX, TX, SL, SL2, TL, TL/2, TL3, EX, HX, RL, RL/HD, RLX, and RSX. My second computer was a Tandy SL, my first being a Coleco Adam.
Despite an excellent product, Tandy made the decision to exit the computer business in 1993.
Recommended Resources
Glenside TRS-80 Color Computer Club
Boasting more than six hundred members, the club is dedicated to the TRS-80 Color Computer, popularly known as CoCo. Officers and directors of the club are listed, with contacts. Meeting schedules, a calendar of events and announcements of its annual CoCoFEST are posted, including vendors, attendees, and schedules. A resource section is included, along with photos, and a document archive containing its constitution and bylaws, incorporation documents, and other papers.
http://www.glensideccc.com/
Ira Goldklang’s TRS-80 Revived Site
Representing an archive of resources related to the Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80 microcomputer lines, including emulators, programs, manuals, books, patches, games, hints, questions, and other information, such as interviews with people significant in the history of the TRS-80, Radio Shack lore, and downloadable software. TRS-80 models and peripherals, along with the DOS systems (DOSPlus, NEWDOS/80, MULTIDOS, CP/M) used in TRS-80 models, and various publications.
http://www.trs-80.com/wordpress/
Created to encourage the creation and distribution of electronic books, Project Gutenberg archives the World Heritage Encyclopedia pages on the Tandy 1000 computer, including an overview of the Tandy 1000, reviewing its design and architecture, hard disk drives, components, and components shipped with the device, as well as its reception and retirement in 1993. Selected Tandy 1000 models are highlighted: HD, EX, SX, HX, TX, SL, SL/2, TL, TL/2, TL/3, RL, RL/HD, RLX, and RSX.
http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/tandy_1000
Featuring three pages of Radio Shack TRS-80 and Tandy computer catalogs, each page containing several catalogs. Each catalog can be displayed in small or large sizes, as well as in HTML, and from as far back as the 1977 introductory catalog for the TRS-80, followed by 1978, 1979, and so on, with some years missing but other years including more than one catalog, and it goes on to cover several catalogs and magazines highlighting Tandy computer products.
http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/computer.html
When it was released in 1983, the Tandy 2000 came with a label that identified it as a TRS-80 Model 2000 HD Personal Computer, as it represented the end of the TRS-80 line of computers. This archive of the Model 2000 includes software and hardware documentation, software images, magazines, newsletters, and catalogs, along with several other documents related to the Tandy 2000, such as service training manuals, schematics, dealer kits, and reference guides.
https://tandy2000.com/
The event is the world’s largest annual gathering of Tandy Radio Shack computing enthusiasts. The upcoming events are highlighted, including details of the venue, an overview of the exhibits expected to be there, confirmed or anticipated speakers, schedules, and events, some of which include an auction, where attendees may be able to pick up a Tandy computer, components, peripherals, or accessories, as well as networking between TRS-80 and Tandy enthusiasts.
http://www.tandyassembly.com/
Maintained by a resident of Montreal, Canada, whose first computer was a TRS-80 Model 3, which he received at the age of fourteen. He restores TRS-80s and Tandy computers and may be available to restore retro computers for clients, for a fee, of course. The site features some of the Tandy restorations that he has done, as well as completed projects, and includes tips and tricks for do-it-yourselfers. Systems offered for sale may also be published on the site. Contacts are posted.
https://texastandyrestoration.com/
Created and maintained by Matthew Reed, the site is dedicated to Tandy/Radio Shack’s TRS-80 computer line, and includes informational articles, interviews, reviews, and other resources related to TRS-80 computers, hardware, software, arcade games, books, magazines, and similar topics. The various TRS-80 computer models, games and game packs, operating systems, programming languages, and other software, and reviews of books covering TRS-80 subjects.
http://www.trs-80.org/
TRS8BIT is a quarterly newsletter for the Radio Shack TRS-80 computer line, which is available from the site’s download page, including archives from years 1-13, along with other publications related to the TRS-80, such as NATGUG News, 80-US, TRSTimes, and 80-Micro, as well as manuals, assembler notes, advertisements, catalogs, and newsletters. Readers in need of Z80 Assembler support are invited to contact Peter Stone at the site, and TRS-80 events are posted.
http://www.trs-80.org.uk/
