HISTORY OF HOME AND GAME COMPUTERS
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A Brief History of Texas InstrumentsThe company was established in Texas in 1930 as Geophysical Services by Clarence Karcher en Eugene McDermott. Until World War II its main activity was soil analysis for oil companies in the U.S. and the Middle East. Then it's main customer became the U.S. army, for which it made e.g. radar installations. In the early 50's the name was changed in Texas Instruments. Main activity now was the manufacturing of transistors. A breakthrough that would change the world forever originated from Texas Instruments: in 1958 TI-employee Jack Kilby invented the chip. 42 Years later, in 2000, Kilby would receive the Nobel Price for Physics for his invention. In the late 60's Texas
Instruments invented the first electronic desktop calculator. A few years
later, in 1972, TI came with the first pocket calculator. With these
calculators Texas Instruments became well known among a broad public. In
the early 80's TI flirted shortly with the home computers market, but it
became anything but a romance.
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Welcome to the nostalgic
history of home and game computers
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI 99/4 - the competitors shuddered
 Big
players on the computer market shuddered when chip manufacturer Texas
Instruments in 1979 announced to come with an own home computer. Texas
Instruments at that time was the number one among the chip
manufacturers. Competitors feared that Texas Instruments could make a
good deal because it could equip its computers with its own chips.But things turned out otherwise. Four years after the introduction of the TI 99/4 Texas Instruments, financially tattered by this adventure, was forced to withdraw from the home computer market. |
A Striking Computer
The Texas Instruments 99/4 was a striking
home computer. It was professionally designed, with a case covered partly
with aluminium and partly with black plastic. On the right site was a
relatively big, but also well-designed cartridge port.
A disadvantage of the design was the keyboard, that wasn't suitable for
intense typing. De keys were small, almost like those on the pocket
calculators Texas Instruments manufactured.
Inside the TI 99/4 was equipped with the first 16 bits microprocessor in the world, the TMS 9900. Texas Instruments had began manufacturing the TMS 9900 in 1976; two years before Intel would launch its 8086. Of course, this processor was initially meant for industrial use in computers costing tens of thousands of dollars. But in 1979 it found its way in this little computer for use at home and in schools.
The 16 bits processor TMS 9900:
the heart of the TI 99/4
Steep prices
The TI 99/4 wasn't cheap: in the U.S. the initial price was 1150 dollar,
including monitor. In Europe the PAL-version of the TI 99/4, suitable for
use with European televisions, appeared not until 1982. Selling price in
the Netherlands was ca. 3000 guilders. If a company wanted to even purchase a couple they would be in need of some serious business loans.
A Short Life in Europe |
Specifications of the Texas Instruments TI 99/4
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Manufacturer |
Texas Instruments |
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Period |
1979 - 1981 |
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CPU |
TMS 9900 |
|
Frequency |
3,3 MHz |
|
ROM |
31 KB |
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RAM |
16,25 KB |
|
Text mode |
32 x 24 (16 colours), 40 x 24 (2 colours) |
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Graphic mode |
256 x 192 |
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Colours |
16 |
|
Sound |
3 channels, 5 octaves, 1 noise |
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I/O |
monitor, cassette, cartridge, 2x joystick, extension port |
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Price |
1150 U.S. dollar |
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