BusinessWeek, September 18, 1978

[sometimes99er]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Just a funny thing, I haven’t seen before.

 

[apersson850]

Well, they knew what to do. Cancel all home computer activities. And it worked, since they are still around.

[sometimes99er]

If only I could get the tax authorities to help me with what turns out to be bad decisions. That’s the impression I got with TI withdrawing from the home computer market. Not that it matters much.

 

ref.:

http://www.ti99ers.org/timeline

 

Texas Instruments announces publically that it will no longer be producing the TI-99/4A Home Computer. The $50 rebate program is cancelled on October 31st but TI decides to continue the free Speech Synthesizer (with the purchase of six modules) offer until January 31, 1984. Many questions arose after the TI announcement, such as why the TI-99/8 was not brought out? Apparently the answer was that Texas Instruments had filed or wanted to file bankruptcy on the Consumer Product Division losses, but could not because one division doesn't make a company, and companies or corporations file for bankruptcy, not their divisions. With their staff of attorneys hard at work, TI was apparently able to work out an agreement with the courts that allowed them to take the tremendous write-off if they removed themselves from the home computer segment of the market totally. This was apparently why Texas Instruments would choose a "Fulfillment House" in 1984 to handle all of their remaining TI-99/4A inventory.