An Ode to RadioShack

I had three RadioShack computers in my youth, beginning with the original TRS-80 model I. Then came a TRS-80 model III, and somewhere along the way, the TRS-80 model 100.

These were seminal machines in the late 70s and early 80s, before the IBM-PC got traction and changed things. The TRS-80 Model I was particularly important to the industry and to RadioShack. Derisively nicknamed the "Trash 80," it was an extremely functional personal computer powered by an 8-bit Z-80 with all the characteristics a user could want. The Model III was an upgrade with dual floppies.

There is nothing too memorable about these machines, except for the massive fan base they had at the time, and the fact that RadioShack brought out a slew of computers (including the Color Computer) which were all very successful. The company abandoned computers just as IBM and the Texas cloners such as Compaq and Dell were ramping up. RadioShack had a tiger by the tail, but was extremely uncomfortable. It preferred to sell simple items.

Probably the most interesting machine it sold during this heyday era was the model 100, which was a portable computer with an LCD screen built into the top of the keyboard. Of the 6 million sold, probably 5.9 million were sold to writers and reporters as word processors.

Released in 1983, it actually appeared in my office in the form of a red machine made by Kyocera almost a year earlier (RadioShack/Tandy licensed the North American rights and I got a sneak peek). I loved this thing and curiously took it to the IBM press conference where the company was rolling out the PC-XT. I can assure you, my red Kyocera unit got more attention—much to the annoyance of the IBMers.

There was no reason for RadioShack to give up completely on its lead in selling personal computers, but it did. This decision has been examined over and over; it is always determined that it saw no future in the business.

You can read the history of the company elsewhere, but there was never a good explanation for its poor decision making and lack of real vision. The company always seemed content to play from behind, as a kind of support character.

You want a cable? There was a good chance RadioShack had one. Want a connector? Yes, they have that.

I never complained about this role for the company because every so often you just need some thingamajig this minute and cannot wait for Amazon to ship it.

But RadioShack never led a market ever again after killing its computer business. To get a TRS-80 there was no alternative. You had to go to RadioShack. What item is there like that today? You do not have to go to RadioShack for anything. It's like a convenience store more than anything else.

It tried its hand at a big box concept years back but could not make money doing that either. Gee, you have to wonder how companies like Fry's Electronics can do it. They were originally grocers and managed it. But RadioShack failed.

RadioShack also had a catalog business that it folded because—despite the uniqueness of items in the catalog—it too was unprofitable. We must assume that the company was filled with managers who just did not have what it takes to make money despite having thousands of outlets to sell stuff.

The local RadioShack was a mainstay for most of America. Now the company is declaring bankruptcy with many of the stores slated to be turned into Sprint phone stores. Yeah we need more phone stores.

So, goodbye RadioShack, it was fun while it lasted.

For more, see RadioShack Is On its Deathbed.