Editing Acorn Archimedes (section)

=== A3000 ===
[[File:Acorn Archimedes A3000 Computer Main Unit.jpg|thumbnail|right|Acorn Archimedes A3000 computer main unit]]
[[File:Acorn Archimedes A3000 Computer with cover removed.jpg|thumb|right|Acorn Archimedes A3000 computer with cover removed]]
[[File:Acorn Archimedes A3000 Main PCB.jpg|thumb|Acorn Archimedes A3000 main PCB. Corrosion from a leaky NiCd battery can be seen in the bottom left corner.]]

In early 1989, speculation about new machines in the Archimedes range envisaged a low-cost, cut-down model with 512&nbsp;KB of RAM to replace the A305 in a fashion reminiscent of the [[BBC Master#Master Compact|Master Compact]].<ref name="archive198903a">{{cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/Archive_1989-03_OCR/page/n24/mode/1up | title=Archimedes Compact? | magazine=Archive | last1=Cowan | first1=Brian | date=March 1989 | access-date=27 March 2021 | pages=23}}</ref> This speculation evolved to more accurately predict a machine with 1&nbsp;MB of RAM aimed at [[Junior school|junior]] or [[primary schools]].<ref name="archive198904">{{cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/Archive_1989-04_OCR/page/n3/mode/1up | title=Archimedes A205??? | magazine=Archive | date=April 1989 | access-date=9 April 2021 | pages=2}}</ref> Other commentators correctly predicted the provision of an internal disc drive and a single "special" podule slot.<ref name="abcomputing198902_grace">{{ cite magazine | title=Affordable Archie | magazine=A&B Computing | last1=Grace | first1=Clive D. | date=February 1989 | pages=14–17 }}</ref> However, any new, low-cost product providing support for up to 2&nbsp;MB of RAM also raised questions about the future of the 300 series,<ref name="archive198903b">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/Archive_1989-03_OCR/page/n24/mode/1up | title=Whither the 300 machines? | magazine=Archive | last1=Cowan | first1=Brian | date=March 1989 | access-date=27 March 2021 | pages=23}}</ref> given the limitation of the 300 series to a maximum of 1&nbsp;MB at that time.<ref name="archive198903c">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/Archive_1989-03_OCR/page/n4/mode/1up | title=A310 Memory up-grades???? | magazine=Archive | date=March 1989 | access-date=27 March 2021 | pages=3}}</ref>

Concurrently with these rumoured product development efforts, work had commenced on a successor to the [[Arthur (operating system)|Arthur operating system]], initially named Arthur 2 but renamed to [[RISC OS]] 2 for launch.<ref name="acornuser198902">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser079-Feb89/page/n10/mode/1up | title=RISC OS is ready for April launch | magazine=Acorn User | date=February 1989 | access-date=31 October 2020 | pages=9}}</ref> In May 1989, a number of new machines were introduced along with RISC OS 2: the 300 series was phased out in favour of the new BBC A3000, and the 400 series were replaced by the improved 400/1 series models.<ref name="acornuser198906a" /> Having been developed in a "remarkably short timescale of nine months",<ref name="acorn_nl10_a3000">{{ cite news | url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Acorn/NL/Acorn_NewsIss10.pdf | title=Three thousand cheers for the A3000 | work=Acorn Newsletter | date=June 1989 | access-date=26 May 2021 | issue=10 | pages=1 }}</ref> the machine was the "major learning vehicle" for an integrated [[Computer-aided design|CAD]] system introduced at Acorn employing products from [[Valid Logic Systems]],<ref name="acorn_nl10_cad">{{ cite news | url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Acorn/NL/Acorn_NewsIss10.pdf | title=Valid investment pays off on the A3000 | work=Acorn Newsletter | date=June 1989 | access-date=26 May 2021 | issue=10 | pages=1–2 }}</ref> and it was reported that the A3000 was the first home microcomputer to use [[Surface-mount technology|surface mount technology]] in its construction, with the machine being built at Acorn's longstanding manufacturing partner, AB Electronics.<ref name="acornuser198906_new_chapter" />

The A3000 used an 8&nbsp;MHz [[ARM architecture#ARM2|ARM2]] and was supplied with {{nowrap|1 MB}} of RAM and RISC OS on {{nowrap|512 KB}} of ROM. Unlike the previous models, the A3000 came in a single-part case similar to the [[BBC Micro]], [[Amiga 500]] and [[Atari ST]] computers, with the keyboard and disc drive integrated into a base unit "slightly smaller than the Master 128".<ref name="acornuser198906_new_chapter">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser083-Jun89/page/n59/mode/2up | title=New Chapter | magazine=Acorn User | date=June 1989 | access-date=1 May 2021 | last1=Bell | first1=Graham | pages=58–59, 61, 63 }}</ref> Despite the machine's desktop footprint, being larger than a simple keyboard, the case was not designed to support a monitor. Acorn offered a monitor stand that attached to the machine,<ref name="acorn_akf20">{{ cite book | url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Acorn/Misc/Acorn_AKF20_A3000MonitorStand.pdf | title=A3000 monitor stand | publisher=Acorn Computers Limited | date=1989 | issue=1 | access-date=1 May 2021 }}</ref> this being bundled with Acorn's Learning Curve package,<ref name="acorn_app264">{{ cite book | url=http://www.4corn.co.uk/archive/docs/AMPAPP/150/APP264%20(2nd%20ed)%20-%20The%20Learning%20Curve%20(1991)-opt.pdf | title=The Learning Curve | publisher=Acorn Computers Limited | date=April 1991 | issue=2 | access-date=1 May 2021 | pages=8 }}</ref> and PRES announced a monitor plinth and external disc drive case.<ref name="acornuser198906a" />

The new model sported only a single internal [[expansion slot]], which was physically different from that of the earlier models, although electrically similar. An external connector could interface to existing expansion cards, with an external case for such cards being recommended and anticipated at the machine's launch,<ref name="acornuser198906_new_chapter" /> and one such solution subsequently being provided by PRES's expansion system.<ref name="acornuser198907_hardware">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser084-Jul89/page/n10/mode/1up | title=New A3000 attracts hardware makers | magazine=Acorn User | date=July 1989 | access-date=1 May 2021 | pages=9 }}</ref><ref name="acornuser199002_addons">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser091-Feb90/page/n123/mode/2up | title=Add-ons Multiply | magazine=Acorn User | date=February 1990 | access-date=5 May 2021 | last1=Drage | first1=Chris | pages=122–123 }}</ref> Acorn announced a combined user port and MIDI expansion for the internal slot at the machine's launch, priced at £49. To enable the machine's serial port, an upgrade costing £19 was required, and Econet support was also an optional extra.<ref name="abcomputing198908_a3000">{{ cite magazine | title=The new Arc A3000 | magazine=A&B Computing | date=August 1989 | pages=46–47 }}</ref>

Although only intended to be upgradeable to {{nowrap|2 MB}} of RAM, third-party vendors offered upgrades to {{nowrap|4 MB}} along with expansions offering additional disc drive connections and combinations of user and analogue ports, both of these helping those upgrading from Acorn's 8-bit products, particularly in education, to make use of existing peripherals such as 5.25-inch drives, input devices and data logging equipment.<ref name="acornuser199009_augmenting">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser098-Sep90/page/n117/mode/2up | title=Augmenting the Arc | magazine=Acorn User | date=September 1990 | access-date=8 May 2021 | last1=Drage | first1=Chris | pages=116–117 }}</ref> Simtec Electronics even offered a RAM upgrade to 8&nbsp;MB for the A3000 alongside other models.<ref name="acornuser199603_simtec">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser166-Mar96/page/n58/mode/1up | title=Memory Solutions for the A3000..... | magazine=Acorn User | author=Simtec Electronics | date=March 1996 | access-date=22 August 2021 | pages=59 }}</ref><ref name="simtec_8mb">{{ cite web | url=http://www.simtec.co.uk/ | title=A300/400/5000 4-8 Mb RAM Upgrade | website=Simtec Electronics | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000818073638/http://www.simtec.co.uk/ | archive-date=18 August 2000 | access-date=22 August 2021 }}</ref> In 1996, IFEL announced a memory upgrade for the A3000 utilising a generic 72-pin [[SIMM]] module to provide 4&nbsp;MB of RAM.<ref name="acornuser199610_ifel"/> Hard drive expansions based on [[ST506]], [[SCSI]] and [[Parallel ATA#IDE and ATA-1|IDE]] technologies were also offered by a range of vendors.<ref name="acornuser199104_mega3000">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser105-Apr91/page/n94/mode/1up | title=Meg-A3000 | magazine=Acorn User | date=April 1991 | access-date=14 May 2021 | last1=James | first1=Paul | pages=93, 95 }}</ref>

With the "British Broadcasting Corporation Computer System" branding, the "main market" for the A3000 was schools and education authorities, and the educational price of £529—not considerably more expensive than the BBC Master—was considered to be competitive and persuasive in getting this particular audience to upgrade to Acorn's 32-bit systems. The retail price of £649 plus VAT was considered an "expensive alternative" to the intended competition—the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST—but many times faster than similarly priced models of those ranges.<ref name="archive198906">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/Archive_1989-06_OCR/page/n40/mode/1up | title=A3000 – The New BBC Micro | magazine=Archive | date=June 1989 | access-date=10 April 2021 | last1=Vigay | first1=Paul | pages=39–41}}</ref> The Amiga 500, it was noted, cost a "not-so-bargain" £550 once upgraded to {{nowrap|1 MB}} of RAM.<ref name="acornuser198906_new_chapter" />

The relative affordability of the A3000 compared to the first Archimedes machines and the release of RISC OS helped to convince educational software producers of the viability of the platform.<ref name="archive199005_education">{{cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/Archive_1990-05_OCR/page/n42/mode/1up | title=Archimedes in Education | magazine=Archive | date=May 1990 | access-date=10 April 2021 | last1=Wilson | first1=Martyn | pages=41–43}}</ref> Shortly after the A3000's launch, one local education authority had already ordered 500 machines, aiming to introduce the A3000 to its primary schools in addition to other levels of education.<ref name="acornuser198908">{{cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser085-Aug89/page/n10/mode/1up | title=A3000 gets orders | magazine=Acorn User | date=August 1989 | access-date=12 April 2021 | pages=9}}</ref> Such was the success of the model that it alone had 37 percent of the UK schools market in a nine-month period in 1991 and, by the end of that year, was estimated to represent 15 percent of the 500,000 or more computers installed in the country's schools.<ref name="acornuser199206_a3000">{{cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser119-Jun92/page/n8/mode/1up | title=News in Brief | magazine=Acorn User | date=June 1992 | access-date=21 April 2021 | pages=7}}</ref>

The appeal of the A3000 to education may also have motivated the return of Microvitec to the Acorn market with the Cub3000 monitor: a re-engineered version of the Cub monitor that was popular amongst institutional users of the original BBC Micro.<ref name="acornuser199005_cub3000">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser094-May90/page/n118/mode/1up | title=Screened for Value | magazine=Acorn User | date=May 1990 | access-date=5 May 2021 | last1=Brown | first1=Malcolm | pages=117 }}</ref> Having been "nowhere to be seen" when the Archimedes was released,<ref name="acornuser199005_cub3000" /> Microvitec had sought to introduce its own Cubpack range of IBM PC-compatible personal computers for the education market offering some BBC BASIC compatibility, building on an estimated 80 percent market share for 14-inch colour monitors in the sector, and aspiring to launch an "interactive video workstation".<ref name="yourcomputer198804_cubpack">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/your-computer-magazine-1988-04/page/n39/mode/2up | title=Talent Scout | magazine=Your Computer | date=April 1988 | access-date=5 May 2021 | last1=Noyes | first1=Susan | pages=40–41 }}</ref>

The introduction of the A3000 also saw Acorn regaining a presence in mainstream retail channels, with a deal with high street retailer Dixons to sell the computer at "business centre" outlets,<ref name="acornuser198911_dixons">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser088-Nov89/page/n8/mode/1up | title=Dixons take on the A3000 | magazine=Acorn User | date=November 1989 | access-date=5 May 2021 | pages=7 }}</ref> followed by agreements with the John Lewis and Alders chains.<ref name="acornuser199002_retail">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser091-Feb90/page/n8/mode/1up | title=More outlets for the A3000 | magazine=Acorn User | date=February 1990 | access-date=5 May 2021 | pages=7 }}</ref> Acorn also sought to secure the interest of games publishers, hosting a conference in August 1989 for representatives of "the top 30 software houses, including [[Ocean Software|Ocean]], [[Eidos Interactive#Domark|Domark]], [[US Gold]], Grand Slam and [[Electronic Arts]]".<ref name="acornuser198911_games">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser088-Nov89/page/n8/mode/1up | title=The games machine | magazine=Acorn User | date=November 1989 | access-date=5 May 2021 | pages=7 }}</ref>

Marketing efforts towards home users continued in 1990 with the introduction of The Learning Curve: a bundle of A3000 and application software priced at £699 plus VAT, requiring a SCART capable television (and appropriate cable<ref name="acorn_app249">{{ cite book | url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Acorn/AN/249.pdf | title=Connection of Monitors to Acorn Computers | publisher=Acorn Computers Limited | date=24 May 1994 | access-date=27 April 2024 | issue=1.13 | pages=2 | quote=an "active" cable (Acorn Product Code AKA77) is available via Acorn dealers }}</ref>), or bundled with a colour monitor and Acorn's monitor stand for £949 plus VAT. The software, having a retail value of around £200,<ref name="acornuser199006_prices">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser095-Jun90/page/n8/mode/1up | title=Acorn Reduces Prices | magazine=Acorn User | date=June 1990 | access-date=6 May 2021 | pages=7 }}</ref> consisted of the second, RISC OS compliant version of Acorn's First Word Plus, the hypermedia application Genesis,<ref name="acornuser199006_genesis">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser095-Jun90/page/n123/mode/2up | title=New Generation | magazine=Acorn User | date=June 1990 | access-date=10 May 2021 | last1=Futcher | first1=Dave | pages=122–123 }}</ref> and the PC Emulator software, with an introductory video presented by [[Fred Harris (presenter)|Fred Harris]], formerly of ''Micro Live''.<ref name="acornuser199005_learningcurve">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser094-May90/page/n8/mode/1up | title=Acorn Re-Enters Home Market with The Learning Curve | magazine=Acorn User | date=May 1990 | access-date=6 May 2021 | pages=7 }}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/FAqnfZ_su6I Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20110914194322/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAqnfZ_su6I Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAqnfZ_su6I|title=Fred Harris Introduces the Acorn Archimedes BBC A3000 Part 1 – YouTube|website=www.youtube.com|date=20 December 2007 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Aiming at the "pre-Christmas market" in 1990, another bundle called Jet Set offered a more entertainment-focused collection of software valued at £200 including Clares' Interdictor flight simulator, Domark's Trivial Pursuit, Superior Golf, and the Euclid 3D modelling package from Ace Computing. The price of this bundle was £747.50 which also included a television modulator developed by the bundle's distributor, ZCL, designed for use with "any TV set" and offering a "monitor quality" picture.<ref name="acornuser199010_jetset">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/AcornUser100-Nov90/page/n11/mode/1up | title=Acorn Jets Home | magazine=Acorn User | date=October 1990 | access-date=11 May 2021 | pages=10 }}</ref>

Pre-launch speculation for the A3000 had suggested the inclusion of a [[RF modulator|TV modulator]] and a possible price of £399 for a 512&nbsp;KB "Archimedes 205" machine aimed at the home market. Rumours about the integration of various elements of Acorn's chipset—specifically, MEMC and VIDC—to "do an Electron" were regarded as logistically demanding and thus unlikely to reduce cost.<ref name="abcomputing198902_grace"/> Such increased integration and targeting of the home market was later pursued with the introduction of the A3010 in 1992.