Sinclair in 1992. Wikipedia photo by Adrian Pingstone.

We have the sad duty to report that the world has lost one of the pioneers of home computing, Sir Clive Marles Sinclar, who died on 16 September 2021 in London.

In 1961, he founded Sinclair Radionics, Ltd., which produced electronic kits and finished products, including one of the first electronic calculators in 1972.

Sinclair ZX80. Wikipedia photo.

We’ve previously written about his most famous products, the Sinclair ZX80 computer from 1980. In America, a later version was marketed as the Timex Sinclair TS1000, billed as the first computer under $100, whose price later dropped to $49. It could be used for BASIC programs, and served as an introduction to computers to many.

According to the BBC, Sinclair didn’t use computers himself, saying that he didn’t like the distraction.  Instead, he was working on his inventions until a week before his death, because that was what he loved doing.