Which year did you get your first Spectrum?

[catmeows]

I had access to Didaktik in local computer club since second half of 1988 (two times 2 hours per week) but I got my own Didaktik in 1990.

[Lee Bee]

UK (Wales), Christmas 1986

[Timmy]

I got my (new) toastrack in 1988. I paid it from my own savings too.

But because it wasn't a gift, I can't remember when I got it exactly.

I think those toastracks arrived at the stores here in my country, because it was kind of firesale.

[spider]

10/10/84 For my first Spectrum, being the rubbery keyed 48K model from the town Co-Op , with the Sinclair 'six pack' included.

Had played on one a few months before at a relatives and they brought it round a few times so I knew it was the machine for me.

[deanysoft]

1982, UK, Spectrum 48K purchased from WH Smith. Previously owned a ZX81 (built from the kit).

A sentence I could have written.

My dad built the ZX81 from a kit. Then it was RAM pack, a better keyboard, wooden box for keyboard and RAM pack - wish I still had all that!

Then my dad drove us to the WH SMiths in Hull for the 48K Spectrum. It was faulty - back to Hull for another, also faulty. Back again and the third one was OK. Years later we found out the dodgy ones had faulty PSUs.

Many memories of the Horizons tape.

[DouglasReynholm]

Xmas day 1983, so coming up on 40 years next month. I have reason to believe all these years later that it might have been one of the ones that went 'missing' that year. My dad was in flooring sales at the time and happened to mention at the time one of his customers had one 'under the counter' that he was offered. Dad's long gone now but on reflection, knowing how shady his east London customers could be, its highly likely it came off the back of a lorry.

[Oloturia]

Italy, 1983. I was 4 years old. I remember scaring the nuns of the kindergarten screaming "LOAD QUOTES QUOTES".

[Rorthron]

1982, UK, 48K via mail order from Sinclair.

[arjun]

Ooh boy. I love reading stories of how we all got one. It's what bring us together innit?

Anway, mine was a db Spectrum+, a licensed Spectrum+ clone manufactured in India by a company called deciBells. In fact you can find the photos of my computer on this very site!.

I still remember the summer of 1988 when my dad announced that the computer we had pre-ordered was ready for pick from the local computer store known as Computer Point, in Chennai (then known as Madras), India. So off we went on my dad's trusty scooter, a Bajaj Super (ours was sky blue in color), because we didn't own a car back then (cars didn't become a phenomenon until the mid to late 90s here because of the cost. Even this computer was considered a luxury back then).

Walking into Computer Point was like entering a magical kingdom - I had never been into a proper computer store until then! It was full of mysterious PC's hooked up to green or ember monitors displaying spreadsheets or text, humming and throbbing in the quiet air conditioned (another rare and luxurious thing) store. But from some corner of the store I could hear fun, frantic sounds of beeps and music. That's where we walked toward to find a section of the store displaying color TVs playing an assortment of games (Enduro Racer, Starion, Galaxians are what I remember). I played a few of them while I waited for our speccy to be made for delivery.

What an exciting start to the day it was! Then our computer was ready, and having chosen a few titles (I don't remember which ones unfortunately - Horace Goes Skiing and Chequered Flag probably) off we sped back home and proceeded to have quite the magical day and the beginning of some incredible moments in the next few years that have stayed in memory ever since.

[Swainy]

Christmas day 1987, +2 bought from Dixons in Stratford, East London UK. Had to take it back once the shops reopened as it wouldn’t load 138k games

[1024MAK]

… as it wouldn’t load 138k games

I’m not surprised! Where are these 138k games you speak of

Mark

[Swainy]

I’m not surprised! Where are these 138k games you speak of

Mark

See that’s what happens when you have big sausage fingers and use an iPhone

[PeteProdge]

October 1987 in the UK, for my 13th birthday, a 128K grey +2 (the best of the Spectrums, frankly). Huge turning point in my life, it was my first ever computer.

[zx1]

Got mines for Christmas 1987 along with various Ocean/Imagine titles and a couple of cheapo game packs. I was instantly hooked. I had been bugging my mum for years for one as all my mates had computers. I suspected i was getting one as during the year my mum asked what the spectrum with the built in was called. I told her it was a +2 and that's what i got.

[Lee Bee]

These poll results are fascinating, giving an indication of the general demographics of this community. Though we should be hesitant to infer too many conclusions from the data as not only is this a small sample, but it reflects the culmination of innumerate factors, such as:

• Overall sales of Spectrums per year
• Short-term popularity of the different models/eras
• Long-term popularity of the different models/eras
• Less market competition in the early years creating more long-term brand loyalty
• Likelihood of customers from each year to sign up to online communities like this, or participate in polls
• Date of purchase generally reflecting customers' age, health and availability to be here
• The fact that retro movements and communities are more likely to attract like-minded members
etc

[PQR]

The Netherlands, summer of 1985: an original rubber keyed Spectrum 48K.
Bought new (by my elder brother) at a V&D department store together with a copy of Fighter Pilot and Falcon Patrol II.
The two of us spent half an hour on his tiny Peugeot 103 SP moped to get to the shop, and then the same amount of time to get back home. I can still remember the sweet smell of the poly.

One year later (1986) I got my own second hand 48K Spectrum in a DK Tronics keyboard.

And then around 1988 I bought a second hand 128K toastrack together with a colour monitor, Disciple interface and 3.5" 720K disc drive.

[Hedge1970]

Whilst I got it in 84, I am sure by mid 85 it was dead but it had a lasting influence on me.

[stupidget]

This is a toughie. For starters I have to remember which house I was living in at the time. My folks used to get bored with houses pretty quickly so from 1973 to 1983 we'd probably moved 5 times and if I remember correctly we'd moved into a new house in 1982. In 1982 I was 9 and was in the last year of Primary School and am pretty sure we'd got our Dragon 32 then. Now, there was an obnoxious, spoiled, rotund kid who lived up the road who I was introduced to as he was the only other person to have a Dragon. I reluctantly swapped/copied games with him just to get new games, even though he was a thoroughly vile individual. He actually had a Dragon 64 which was released in the UK in August 1983. After a series of faulty Dragons we eventually got a refund from Boots and purchased a rubber keyed 48k Speccy. I was able to choose 2 games as part of the bundle one of which was Luna Crabs, which was released in 1983, so this is an incredibly long winded way of saying 'I got my Speccy in 1983'!!!

NB - I'm assuming that because Luna Crabs was on the shelf at Boots it must have been a 'new-ish' game and thus it must have been 1983.

[Vampyre]

Christmas Day 1983 - 48K rubber key'd. First game I played on it was Jetpac.

This year, when my Next arrives, I'm going to get the missus to wrap it up for me as a Christmas present. And the first game I'm going to play on it is Jetpac. Think it'll be a nice way to spend the 40th anniversary.

[zx1]

I still have my first Speccy from 1987. I'll post pictures of it working.