Editing Amstrad (section)

=== Home computers ===
[[File:Amstrad logo 1980s.svg|thumb|Logo of Amstrad introduced in the 1980s for their home computers]]
[[File:Amstrad CPC464.jpg|thumb|The [[Amstrad CPC 464]] personal microcomputer (1984)|left]]
In 1980, Amstrad went public trading on the [[London Stock Exchange]], and doubled in size each year during the early '80s. Amstrad began marketing its own [[home computer]]s in an attempt to capture the market from [[Commodore International|Commodore]] and [[Sinclair Research|Sinclair]], with the [[Amstrad CPC]] range in 1984. The [[Amstrad CPC 464|CPC 464]] was launched in the UK, Ireland, France, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Spain and Italy. It was followed by the [[Amstrad CPC#CPC 664|CPC 664]] and [[Amstrad CPC#CPC 6128|CPC 6128]] models. Later "[[Amstrad CPC#464 plus, 6128 plus|Plus]]" variants of the 464 and 6128, launched in 1990, increased their functionality slightly.

[[File:Amstrad PCW512.JPG|thumb|Amstrad [[PCW8512]] word processor (1985)]]
In 1985, the popular [[Amstrad PCW]] range was introduced, which were principally [[word processor]]s, complete with printer, running the [[LocoScript]] word processing program. They were also capable of running the [[CP/M]] operating system. The [[Amsoft]] division of Amstrad was set up to provide in-house software and consumables.

On 7 April 1986 Amstrad announced it had bought from Sinclair Research "the worldwide rights to sell and manufacture all existing and future Sinclair computers and computer products, together with the Sinclair brand name and those intellectual property rights where they relate to computers and computer related products",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crashonline.org.uk/28/news.htm|title=CRASH 28 - News|access-date=10 January 2016}}</ref> which included the [[ZX Spectrum]], for £5 million. This included Sinclair's unsold stock of [[Sinclair QL]]s and Spectrums. Amstrad made more than £5 million on selling these surplus machines alone. Amstrad launched two new variants of the Spectrum: the [[ZX Spectrum +2]], based on the ZX Spectrum 128, with a built-in [[Compact Cassette (data)|cassette tape drive]] (like the CPC 464) and, the following year, the [[ZX Spectrum +3]], with a built-in [[floppy disk]] drive (similar to the CPC 664 and 6128), taking the 3" disks that many Amstrad machines used.

[[File:ZX Spectrum Plus2 (retouched).jpg|thumb|The [[ZX Spectrum|ZX Spectrum +2]] (1986). This was the first new Spectrum model released by Amstrad after their purchase of the range.|left]]

In 1986 Amstrad entered the [[IBM PC-compatible]] arena with the [[PC1512]] system. In standard Amstrad livery and priced at £399 it was a success, capturing more than 25% of the European computer market.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} It was [[MS-DOS]]-based, but with the GEM graphics interface, and later [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]. In 1988 Amstrad attempted to make the first affordable portable personal computer with the [[Amstrad PPC 512|PPC512 and 640]] models, introduced a year before the [[Macintosh Portable]]. They ran [[MS-DOS]] on an 8&nbsp;MHz processor, and the built-in screen could emulate the [[IBM Monochrome Display Adapter|Monochrome Display Adapter]] or [[Color Graphics Adapter]]. Amstrad's final (and ill-fated) attempts to exploit the Sinclair brand were based on the company's own PCs; a compact desktop PC derived from the PPC 512, branded as the [[Sinclair PC200]], and the PC1512 rebadged as the Sinclair PC500.

[[File:Amstrad PPC512 open.jpg|thumb|[[Amstrad PPC 512]] portable PC (1987)]]
Amstrad's second generation of PCs, the PC2000 series, were launched in 1989. However,
due to a problem with the [[Seagate Technology|Seagate]] ST277R hard disk shipped with the PC2386 model, these had to be recalled and fitted with [[Western Digital]] controllers. Amstrad later successfully sued Seagate, but following bad press over the hard disk problems, Amstrad lost its lead in the European PC market.<ref>Computer Contracts - Merchantable Quality in Hardware Contracts - Amstrad plc v. Seagate Technology {{Cite web |url=http://www.ipit-update.com/ictcon10.htm |title=Richard Cole Must Computer Contracts always be fit for Purpose |access-date=12 January 2009 |archive-date=5 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905061247/http://www.ipit-update.com/ictcon10.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>