Sir Clive Sinclair: Inventor behind the home computer and pocket calculator dies
Inventor Sir Clive Sinclair – the man behind the home computer and the pocket calculator – has died at the age of 81.
The computing pioneer passed away at his London home yesterday morning, according to his daughter Belinda Sinclair.
Sinclair, known for his ZX models, received a tribute from Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk on Twitter, who said: “RIP, Sir Sinclair. I loved that computer.”
The inventor, known to his daughter as an “inventive and imaginative” man, was still working on his inventions last week – “because that was what he loved doing,” she said.
“He was inventive and imaginative and for him it was exciting and an adventure, it was his passion.”
Sinclair had attempted to launch into the electric vehicle (EV) space with his C5 EV tricycle.
The C5, launched in 1985, failed to gain traction among consumers at the time and spelled some financial troubles for Sinclair.
“I think sometimes he was a bit too early,” his daughter said, referring to his inventions.
“He was very good at imagining things that people might like or might need, even though they didn’t know they wanted them.”