<s>
The	O
is	O
a	O
line	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
developed	O
for	O
the	O
Japanese	O
market	O
by	O
NEC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC-8001	B-Device
model	O
was	O
also	O
sold	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
Canada	O
as	O
the	O
PC-8001A	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Original	O
models	O
of	O
the	O
NEC	O
PC-8001B	O
(	O
or	O
sometimes	O
the	O
NEC	B-Device
PC-8000	I-Device
)	O
were	O
also	O
sold	O
in	O
some	O
European	O
countries	O
like	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
,	O
France	O
,	O
Spain	O
,	O
Italy	O
and	O
the	O
Netherlands	O
and	O
in	O
Australia	O
and	O
New	O
Zealand	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
PC-8000	B-Device
series	I-Device
,	O
the	O
PC-8001	B-Device
was	O
first	O
introduced	O
on	O
May	O
9	O
,	O
1979	O
,	O
and	O
went	O
on	O
sale	O
in	O
September	O
1979	O
for	O
¥	O
168,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
design	O
combines	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
the	O
mainboard	B-Device
into	O
a	O
single	O
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
a	O
time	O
when	O
most	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
were	O
sold	O
as	O
"	O
semi-kits	O
"	O
requiring	O
end	O
user	O
assembly	O
,	O
the	O
fully	O
assembled	O
PC-8001	B-Device
was	O
a	O
rarity	O
in	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Peripherals	O
included	O
a	O
printer	O
,	O
a	O
cassette	B-Architecture
tape	I-Architecture
storage	I-Architecture
unit	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
CRT	B-Device
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
is	O
often	O
believed	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
first	O
domestically	O
produced	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
for	O
the	O
Japanese	O
market	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
preceded	O
by	O
both	O
the	O
Hitachi	O
and	O
the	O
Sharp	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC-8001A	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
in	O
August	O
1981	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
priced	O
at	O
(	O
32	O
kB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Katakana	O
glyphs	O
in	O
the	O
character	O
ROM	B-Device
(	O
see	O
JIS	O
X	O
0201	O
)	O
are	O
replaced	O
by	O
Greek	O
alphabet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC-8001	B-Device
has	O
an	O
NEC	O
μPD780C-1	O
(	O
Z80-compatible	O
processor	O
)	O
clocked	O
at	O
4MHz	O
,	O
16KB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
(	O
expandable	O
to	O
32KB	O
)	O
,	O
CRT	B-Device
video	O
output	O
,	O
cassette	O
port	O
,	O
parallel	O
port	O
for	O
a	O
printer	O
,	O
serial	O
port	O
and	O
an	O
expansion	O
bus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
built-in	O
BASIC	O
interpreter	O
,	O
called	O
N-BASIC	O
,	O
fits	O
in	O
24KB	O
of	O
ROM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
a	O
variant	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Language
Disk	I-Language
BASIC	I-Language
4.51	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Optional	O
DISK	O
BASIC	O
allows	O
disk	O
I/O	O
for	O
an	O
external	O
floppy	B-Device
drive	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
video	O
output	O
is	O
provided	O
by	O
an	O
NEC	O
μPD3301	O
CRT	B-Device
controller	O
and	O
a	O
μPD8257C	O
(	O
Intel	B-Device
8257	I-Device
clone	O
)	O
DMA	B-General_Concept
controller	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
attribution	O
also	O
supports	O
semigraphics	B-Data_Structure
,	O
and	O
each	O
characters	O
have	O
a	O
2×4	O
matrix	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC-8011	O
Expansion	O
Unit	O
provides	O
additional	O
capabilities	O
and	O
interfaces	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
32KB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
sockets	O
for	O
μPD416	O
DRAMs	O
,	O
8KB	O
ROM	B-Device
sockets	O
for	O
2716	O
PROMs	O
,	O
an	O
interrupt	B-Architecture
controller	I-Architecture
,	O
an	O
interval	B-Device
timer	I-Device
,	O
a	O
serial	O
port	O
,	O
a	O
floppy	B-Device
drive	I-Device
controller	O
,	O
a	O
parallel	O
port	O
and	O
an	O
IEEE-488	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Original	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drives	I-Device
for	O
the	O
PC-8001	B-Device
are	O
the	O
dual-unit	O
PC-8031	O
and	O
the	O
additional	O
dual-unit	O
PC-8032	O
,	O
which	O
use	O
143KB	O
single-sided	O
5.25-inch	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
units	O
are	O
attached	O
to	O
the	O
PC-8001	B-Device
through	O
the	O
PC-8011	O
or	O
the	O
PC-8033	O
adapter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Nippon	O
Electric	O
's	O
Microcomputer	B-Architecture
Sales	O
Section	O
in	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Device	O
Sales	O
Division	O
released	O
the	O
TK-80	B-Device
in	O
1976	O
,	O
a	O
single-board	B-Device
computer	I-Device
kit	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
became	O
popular	O
among	O
hobbyists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
American	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
were	O
expensive	O
for	O
personal	O
use	O
(	O
Initial	O
list	O
price	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
was	O
358,000	O
yen	O
,	O
Commodore	B-Device
PET	I-Device
was	O
298,000	O
yen	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
TRS-80	B-Device
was	O
248,000	O
yen	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1978	O
,	O
the	O
Hitachi	O
Basic	O
Master	O
and	O
Sharp	B-Operating_System
MZ-80K	I-Operating_System
,	O
both	O
developed	O
by	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
companies	O
,	O
were	O
released	O
as	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
targeted	O
for	O
hobbyists	O
,	O
not	O
for	O
business	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
1978	O
,	O
the	O
Microcomputer	B-Architecture
Sales	O
Section	O
started	O
developing	O
the	O
PC-8001	B-Device
,	O
codenamed	O
"	O
PCX-1	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
had	O
already	O
planned	O
to	O
release	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
TK-80BS	B-Device
within	O
a	O
plastic	O
case	O
as	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
the	O
COMPO	B-Device
BS/80	I-Device
,	O
but	O
it	O
failed	O
in	O
the	O
market	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
poor	O
built-in	O
BASIC	O
and	O
slow	O
clock	O
speed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC-8001	B-Device
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
high-performance	O
and	O
inexpensive	O
computer	O
for	O
personal	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
had	O
already	O
been	O
developing	O
a	O
BASIC	O
interpreter	O
,	O
but	O
Watanabe	O
decided	O
to	O
adopt	O
Microsoft	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
because	O
it	O
was	O
widely	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
asked	O
New	O
Nippon	O
Electric	O
(	O
NEC	O
Home	O
Electronics	O
since	O
1983	O
)	O
to	O
sell	O
the	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
through	O
their	O
consumer	O
distribution	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
NEC	O
divisions	O
did	O
n't	O
appreciate	O
the	O
project	O
before	O
the	O
PC-8001	B-Device
went	O
on	O
sale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
people	O
,	O
even	O
in	O
NEC	O
,	O
did	O
n't	O
know	O
about	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
they	O
could	O
n't	O
understand	O
what	O
the	O
Microcomputer	B-Architecture
Sales	O
Section	O
aimed	O
for	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
TK-80	B-Device
sold	O
well	O
for	O
computer	O
enthusiasts	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
computer	O
division	O
regarded	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
toy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Watanabe	O
recalled	O
that	O
engineers	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
division	O
criticized	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
did	O
n't	O
have	O
parity	B-Error_Name
bit	I-Error_Name
checking	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
assumed	O
the	O
microprocessors	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
were	O
not	O
suitable	O
for	O
computing	O
due	O
to	O
their	O
lack	O
of	O
performance	O
and	O
reliability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
believed	O
microprocessors	O
were	O
more	O
reliable	O
than	O
wirewrapped	O
minicomputers	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
he	O
suggested	O
the	O
TK-80	B-Device
project	O
,	O
Sawanobori	O
supported	O
him	O
in	O
anticipation	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
expand	O
the	O
microprocessor	O
market	O
,	O
and	O
Ouchi	O
trusted	O
their	O
decision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
he	O
planned	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
,	O
Ouchi	O
wavered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Watanabe	O
also	O
hesitated	O
to	O
develop	O
it	O
in	O
the	O
device	O
division	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
division	O
,	O
but	O
he	O
saw	O
the	O
burgeoning	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
market	O
in	O
America	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
he	O
decided	O
to	O
continue	O
the	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC-8001	B-Device
was	O
introduced	O
on	O
May	O
9	O
,	O
1979	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
prototype	O
went	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
at	O
the	O
held	O
from	O
May	O
16	O
to	O
19	O
at	O
the	O
Tokyo	O
Ryūtsū	O
Center	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1981	O
,	O
it	O
dominated	O
40%	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NEC	O
also	O
succeeded	O
in	O
expanding	O
their	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
chain	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC-8001	B-Device
sold	O
well	O
in	O
the	O
educational	O
market	O
because	O
NEC	O
advertised	O
that	O
the	O
PC-8001	B-Device
used	O
the	O
industrial	O
standard	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kanagawa	O
Prefectural	O
Chigasaki	O
Nishihama	O
High	O
School	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
futsu-ka	O
school	O
(	O
upper	O
secondary	O
schools	O
with	O
a	O
focus	O
on	O
a	O
common	O
course	O
)	O
to	O
purchase	O
PC-8001	B-Device
computers	O
(	O
buying	O
17	O
units	O
)	O
and	O
started	O
teaching	O
programming	O
as	O
an	O
elective	O
subject	O
in	O
1981	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
1982	O
,	O
NHK	O
Educational	O
TV	O
started	O
the	O
television	O
program	O
""	O
using	O
the	O
PC-8001	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
higher-performance	O
,	O
more	O
graphically	O
capable	O
revision	O
of	O
the	O
PC-8001	B-Device
,	O
the	O
Mark	O
II	O
debuted	O
in	O
March	O
1983	O
for	O
a	O
price	O
of	O
123,000	O
yen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
its	O
most	O
obvious	O
improvement	O
was	O
in	O
its	O
graphical	O
capabilities	O
,	O
the	O
Mark	O
II	O
also	O
included	O
an	O
internal	O
5.25	B-Device
"	I-Device
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
interface	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
two	O
internal	O
expansion	O
slots	O
,	O
doing	O
away	O
with	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
an	O
"	O
expansion	O
box	O
"	O
to	O
permit	O
upgrades	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
price	O
of	O
the	O
PC-8001mkII	O
was	O
comparable	O
with	O
other	O
8-bit	O
computer	O
offerings	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
its	O
graphics	O
were	O
notably	O
worse	O
than	O
its	O
competitors	O
(	O
most	O
likely	O
an	O
attempt	O
on	O
NEC	O
's	O
part	O
to	O
avoid	O
competing	O
with	O
their	O
own	O
,	O
higher-powered	O
PC-8800	B-Device
series	I-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
the	O
primitive	O
PC	B-Device
speaker	I-Device
was	O
replaced	O
by	O
an	O
FM	O
synthesis	O
audio	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
internal	O
BASIC	O
was	O
also	O
updated	O
to	O
allow	O
usage	O
of	O
this	O
new	O
hardware	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
providing	O
mkII	O
and	O
PC-8001	B-Device
compatibility	O
modes	O
(	O
although	O
a	O
significant	O
proportion	O
of	O
older	O
software	O
would	O
not	O
run	O
properly	O
under	O
these	O
modes	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
changes	O
included	O
the	O
change	O
of	O
one	O
general-purpose	O
expansion	O
slot	O
to	O
a	O
Kanji	O
character	O
ROM	B-Device
expansion	O
slot	O
,	O
a	O
PC-8800	B-Device
series	I-Device
keyboard	B-Device
connector	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
Atari-style	O
joystick	B-Device
connector	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Japanese	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
magazine	O
ASCII	O
concluded	O
in	O
1979	O
that	O
"	O
Although	O
some	O
problems	O
remain	O
,	O
at	O
present	O
,	O
we	O
can	O
guarantee	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
strongest	O
machine	O
for	O
both	O
software	O
and	O
hardware.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Sawanobori	O
recalled	O
why	O
the	O
PC-8001	B-Device
became	O
a	O
long	O
seller	O
that	O
"	O
The	O
biggest	O
factor	O
is	O
the	O
price	O
setting	O
of	O
168,000	O
yen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
handicapped	O
by	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
English	O
documentation	O
,	O
BYTEs	B-Application
American	O
reviewers	O
concluded	O
in	O
January	O
1981	O
after	O
evaluating	O
a	O
unit	O
purchased	O
in	O
Japan	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
PC-8001	B-Device
appears	O
to	O
be	O
an	O
attractive	O
,	O
well-planned	O
,	O
and	O
well-made	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
...	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
people	O
who	O
have	O
seen	O
our	O
PC-8001	B-Device
feel	O
that	O
,	O
if	O
it	O
were	O
sold	O
in	O
our	O
country	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
provide	O
strong	O
competition	O
for	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
color-based	O
home	O
computers	O
currently	O
being	O
sold	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
