Micro Men Page #3

We produce something better.

Better keyboard - bigger memory.

Smarter chip - and improved language.

I know. But the genie is out of the bottle.

He's done it - he's got there first.

It's a working computer for less than a ton.

It's brilliant. A clear run on us.

Look at the positive.

Clive is playing his hand first.

If he is bluffing, we will know.

If he is holding the full house, we will be able

to look through the pack and find

the three aces with which to beat him.

You don't play cards either, do you?

No.

So it goes well,

but we still need to push on.

Progress on the ZX81?

Our first specs are done, and we start work

on an initial prototype next week.

What about that bloody screen flicker?

Hopefully not.

Jim, I was wondering if you'd had

any contact with Chris.

I'm always in the lab.

I hear he might be going to market

with a new product.

Well I have... He hasn't...

I'm not really sure.

It seems a shame he's not still with us.

He'd have enjoyed this.

That's all.

Sinclair computer offers

and a proper integrated keyboard

that won't give you arthritis.

The Acorn Atom is the product that serious

computer users have been waiting for.

You seem intent on attacking Clive Sinclair.

That's not personal. It's a vastly

superior product, that's all.

You're attacking him again.

It's about computers, that's all.

It pains me to say it, but many of these

companies won't survive this gold rush

in the personal computing market.

There may be many clever people in the industry,

but business acumen is thin on the ground.

Far too much what I call 'kite flying' -

that is to say, people announcing products

that just aren't ready.

But make no mistake - I welcome competition.

We are a market leader, but we

don't take our position for granted.

Great, OK. Can I ask you about the new

RAM pack attachment?

Yes - well, it was thought that we might

do something to boost the machine's memory.

Yes, right. Because a lot of our readers are

saying that the connection's not that good -

that they fall off.

We are aware of this issue.

Our engineers have looked into it -

and I am informed that the use of a piece

of blue-tack about the size of a runner bean

will resolve the problem.

Blue-tack?

Quite so.

Well that's genius!

You see, our readers would love that.

Which magazine did you say?

Sinclair User.

Ah, yes, well - you have my blessing.

Clive!

Chris.

Everything going well?

I've given up.

What's the progress on the new machine?

All the boys in the lab are doing their best -

Well they need to do better.

Getting it out quickly is vital.

It needs to trump the '80,

but also to obliterate the competition.

We need to keep our rate. Cynthia,

take a memo. To all staff:

In this competitive environment, we cannot

afford information to leak out

about our new products.

Be hereby notified that work on the ZX81

is top secret.

Prizegiving at the boys' school today.

Do you mind? I'm reading.

'A plan to make Britain the most

computer-literate country in the world.'

That's quite a thought.

They're making a TV series about computing,

and they want their own machine

to use in demonstrations.

It's the biggest free advertising campaign

in history.

Whoever gets the licence to produce it,

they'll make a fortune.

Hello, Acorn Computers.

It says they already have a favourite.

Yeah. The Newbrain.

In Newbury.

Newbury Newbrain. But why them?

It's the wrong machine.

What they want is something closer

to what we're doing.

Yes. But the same thought will be

crossing the mind of -

Someone on the line for you.

Says he's an old friend. Clive.

Chris.

Clive.

Are you well?

Yes, fine. You?

Thriving. You don't object to my choice of venue?

I like these places.

They're traditional. And honest.

Quintessentially British.

I took the liberty of ordering for you.

Their oxtail soup is warming and nutritious.

Very filling.

Business going well?

Yes, fantastic.

Good. I'm pleased there's room left

in the market for niche products.

No, the cream will always rise to the top.

But cream can go sour.

Not if it's kept cool.

Well let's hope your cream can withstand

the heat of the kitchen.

You wanted to talk?

I don't know if you'd heard,

but there's this BBC computer project.

That - yes, I think I read something

about it somewhere.

I'm sure it won't amount to much,

but I wanted to discuss it

in case you had any concerns.

Concerns?

Clearly it amounts to a breach

of their non-commercial charter.

It's outrageous.

Any machine bearing the BBC logo

would carry an enormous advantage.

You think?

Their patronage of the Newbury project

is intolerable.

At the very least it should be

an open competition for the contract.

At the very least.

Well it seems only fair, especially for

smaller companies like yours.

Very altruistic.

Assuming you were intending on bidding?

I hadn't really given it much thought.

What about you?

I think we should both write to the BBC

making our feelings clear.

It is in both our interests that Cambridge

remain at the heart of the computer industry.

You're asking for my help?

I'm looking to join forces,

for the common good.

This is about doing the right thing.

So he's sitting there, suggesting

that we should - I don't know -

join forces to stop them - but I can't believe

that he's not actually pitching for the job.

So there would be competition?

With him as odds-on favourite?

There wouldn't be time for a competition.

The BBC want this machine ready in weeks,

in time for the broadcasts.

And Clive knows that!

He's ready to step in -

And if Clive gets it,

he'll have the whole market in his pocket.

It'll be curtains for us, and every other

computer business in the country.

And he wants me to help him win

the bloody contract!

We'll have to throw our hat in the ring.

But he's got a huge advantage.

I mean, he's already manufacturing

god knows how many computers a week.

On average.

But the Atom is a superior computer.

No question.

Absolutely.

Quantity is his strength - quality is ours.

We just have to convince the BBC

that they need what we've got.

I finessed his real intentions from him -

if there's a BBC contract in the offing,

he'll bid - I'm sure of it.

Even though he knows he hasn't got a chance.

Our next machine, gentlemen,

will win hands down,

because we know so much better what is

needed, and how to do it, than the BBC.

I don't know if it will be that simple, Clive.

We're pretty well-advanced with

the development already -

the BBC's specs are quite different

to what we're doing.

Well tell them what they want -

not the other way around.

An affordable but elegant machine

with a few basic functions -

just as we're developing.

We are the computer experts.

They can stick to making Doctor Who,

and Home With Mother.

Don't worry. When the Newbury project fails,

they'll come to us.

We are expanding even quicker than anticipated.

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