...Cos she's quite a beauty, boys. Some lovely pics of an Oric-1 were posted up the other day on a FaceAche forum and I wanted to share them here... fab photography, fellas: What was that, Tim, you want 1-2 of them as slideshow images? HELP YERSEN, BUD!
I'm liking what I'm seeing there, Andy! Expect to see them in the next slide update, coming soon to a slideshow near you. --Tim
You have gReat tastes, fellas! I totally agree - the Oric-1 still looks "space age" and if you guys haven't got hold of one yet for your collections, I thoroughly recommend them. I would also like to propose the ZX80 design as also looking like something out of Star Trek: However, the difference in retro prices between the two different models though can be £100s, ie. a 2nd hand Oric-1 can be had for £60-100 whereras a 2nd user ZX80 can easily set you back £200-500.
Yes, the ZX80 and the Jupiter ACE had a fine plastic aerodynamic shape. The rubber keys used to melt if the computer was used for more than 20 minutes but the design is somewhat that resisted the passing of time.
Very true, Daz. The Jupiter Ace is another "smart snazzy" design... and again, prices for this rare bird reflect it's rarity (often £500-1000!)
I do like all their lines, but with the Sinclair ZX80/81 and the Jupitor ACE the ram-packs totally screw up the beautiful lines with slapped-on kludges. Why, oh why, didn't they have the ram packs mount horizontally out the back?!? The Oric-1 is indeed a still-modern looking beauty too, especially the profile. It reminds me of the Atari 7800's profile. That is another very sleek looking machine. I'm not sure if these incredible pictures of the Oric-1 are enough to sway me from getting an Atmos with a full-stroke keyboard, when the time comes, though. I do wish the Atmos used the same colour livery as the Oric-1. Keep the red keys though.
Spot on observation there, Matt, with the ugliness of the "tower block" RAM packs rammed on the rear - it's just asking for trouble. As you say, the aesthetics are spoiled and the opportunity for the infamous wobble meant many a user frustrated by the loss of memory/program due to this daft design. I think there were 1-2 3rd party people who came up with a horizontal RAM solution - maybe someone can upload a pic of such an example - but most people had to live with the horror of the wobble and the crappy bolted-on eyesore which then detracted from the sleek futuristic finish. Good point made.
