The terrible Radio Shack computer that became your phone #ShackToberFest

Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Dell, IBM, HP, Samsung…Tandy? Tech history is filled with stories of companies that survived industry turbulence and came out stronger on the other side. There’s also no shortage of companies that fizzled out spectacularly and became little more than footnotes. Such is the story of Tandy and its TRS-80 Pocket Computer.

Sold exclusively through Radio Shack, the TRS-80 was part of a a new generation of tiny, lightweight personal computers you could take on the go. Sure, in 2024, we don’t think twice about the personal computers (aka smartphones) we all carry everywhere, but in the early-1980s, these devices sounded like the future. Popular Science even dedicated its November 1980 cover to the gadgets with columnist V. Elaine Smay writing: “At home, in the office, on the road–these small computers give you brainpower to go.”

In this Popular Science video, Kevin Lieber not only unravels the history of the TRS-80 Pocket Computer but also slowly descends into a state of unrelenting frustration by trying to use one. Can Kevin find the correct cables to play games on his TRS-80? Why don’t we all scroll Instagram on a Tandy smartphone? The answers provide a lesson in why some companies are lost to time, regardless of how successful or influential they once were.

See the video below and more on PopSci.

On the heels of #SepTandy, Adafruit is celebrating #ShackToberFest, a celebration of all things Radio Shack and Tandy. Tag your social media posts #ShackToberFest!


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