New low price for Level 1 BASIC 4K RAM

The TRS-80 was one of the "1977 Trinity" - which also included the Commodore PET and the Apple II. They were the first three modern personal computers - micros that could be taken out of a box, plugged in, turned on and would be ready to use.

Legend has it that Chuck Peddle - inventor of the 6502 microprocessor - approached Radio Shack, owner of the Tandy name, as a potential outlet for his PET machine. Radio Shack said it was uninterested, only to take the idea and produce a machine of its own. 

[picture: radioshack_shop_microdec_may82.jpg|One of Radio Shack's extensive US network of Main Street shops, probably taken in 1977 or '78 and showing hand-made signs for the TRS 80 computer department. From Micro Decisions, May 1982]

For a while the TRS-80 - or Trash 80 as it was sometimes uncharitably known - was the best-selling of the three, and came in several forms, including a keyboard-only version. 

The combination as shown in the advert retailed for £431 - about [[431|1979]] in [[now]] prices, making it cheap compared to the PET and the Apple II.