Spectrofon #21 04 декабря 1996

Интервью

Warm greetings - Visiting magazine Sinclair User - Sir Clive Sinclair. Conversation with K. Sinclair Spectrum on and around it.

   I must say that this section was conceived under the 
articles from the electronic journal PCREVIEW. But what a time 
there is no materials. Therefore, in the last issue we

decided to expand the boundaries of this section and
published its own translation of the article,
written for the 50-year anniversary of Sir Clive
Sinclair. It turned out that like himself
Sinclair sends us greetings. Or it can be
on the contrary - we tell him? Anyway, today - the continuation 
of the theme - warm greetings all sinkleristam Russia from Sir 
Clive Sinclair. Read the interview with the father of Spectrum, 
which he gave in 1986 magazine "Sinclair User" ...




Research, what policies led.


   Even so, Alan Sugar got the right products and Sinclair 
Research cheaply: 12 million pounds for the company, which was 
estimated at 100 million the year before. They say that Amstrad 
has received 6,000,000 on sales of Spectrum.




   Although Sir Clive chooses his words very carefully, you 
create a strong impression that all this is not its for real.

Money was not the sole cause of the transaction. "I think it 
was a bargain with his point of view, but you must remember

that covered the whole mess ... I do not mean just us ... all
got into it. "


   And for most it remains so.
Commodore, for example, still loses an
state of each month.


   "If Alan Sugar can do this
money, well, it's fantastic, but we
lose money on it, and continue there was no point ... We have 
used opportunity to sell it all for the good

money and get out of unprofitable businesses. This
seems to me a good speed in the current
circumstances. When we started
Sinclair Research, we immediately decided that


our business will not be just a piece of bread with
oil. We wanted to go to those areas where
it will be difficult, but interesting. And in those days
certainly was leading gaming market. "


   "We were pioneers, pioneers in
this business. And when time passes pioneers - well, it's time 
to end this thing and try something new. " 


   So, he starts all over again, returning to the original 
spirit of Sinclair Research - The spirit of the laboratory 
inventors. Did He is now happier?



   "Oh, definitely. We are so bogged down in these
"Conveyor" products, it does not
our region. We are not as good as the Amstrad, in affairs of 
this kind. " 



   All this goodwill and trust
a few scares me. Really,
I ask, he just will not be disappointed if (and it looks quite 
possible!) Alan Sugar is using the trademark "Sinclair" for 
some primitive game console? And this is after it stood on a 
home computer, conceived as an educational machine and a useful 
business tool? Sir Clive smiles. 


   "I think - yes, a little bit. But I really
pleased that Britain now all looking
Alan Sugar, as a man who
rescues the Spectrum. He is very competent
man, a really brilliant, a real
professional. He does many things to
better than it turned out for us. "


   "I'm not being modest, because I
I think that there are many things that, on the contrary, we 
can do better than he could ever. Everything turned out better. 


They will sell more computers, and we will be free for new 
beginnings. By same - he adds, grinning - you can now write 
about the two companies instead of one. "



   My general impression
that the last few years, Sir Clive
Sinclair has not been truly happy with
his company Sinclair Research. He was
alternately the victim of an extraordinary success and
financial collapse. And, both significantly restricted his 
freedom. Interestingly, he says almost nothing about the 
burning problems of Sinclair Research Spectrum era. By the way, 
one illustration. I asked him about the standard MIDI-interface 
built into the Spectrum 128. "What's that?" - Asked Sir

Clive, genuinely puzzled. Then he
remembered.



   Now Sir Clive back in control. Again, controls just such a
company, which he is best suited.
He again is a small team of talented engineers and computer 
specialists, all of whose work is aimed at invention, a new and 
unknown. 


   He calls himself an optimist, and this
indeed the case. He rarely chooses the easy way out - just 
remember how they laughed at him because of the C5. And 
certainly something in this way will more than once. The 
difference in that now Sir Clive threw off

burden and ready myself to laugh at themselves.


   When we were discussing plans Amstrada for Spectrum, I 
mentioned how they integrate into the tape recorder -

obvious and fairly cheap trick to
increase sales. Computer with built-
recorder looks much more spectacular in



storefront. Although this seems logical, it is simply 
impossible to imagine to something like that did Sinclair

Research.


   Laughing, Sir Clive agreed: "Oh no,
in any case ... It would be too
obviously!


               Sinclair User, August 1986.