Microbee

The Microbee is a series of early home computers developed in Australia. The first Microbee model was released in 1983 by the company Applied Technology, later renamed Microbee Systems. It was designed to be an affordable and accessible computer for home users and educational institutions.

The Microbee featured a Zilog Z80A microprocessor and came with either 32KB or 64KB of RAM. It ran on a version of Microsoft BASIC and had a distinctive keyboard layout. Options for storage included cassette tapes and later, floppy disk drives. The computer was known for its expandability, allowing users to add various peripherals and even upgrade its internal components.

Over its lifespan, several models were released, including the Microbee Model 16, the Supermicrobee, and the Turbo-X. These iterations offered improvements in processing speed, memory, and features. The Microbee found a niche in the Australian market, becoming a popular choice for hobbyists and schools. Despite its success in its home country, the Microbee did not achieve widespread international recognition compared to some of its contemporaries. Production of the Microbee computers eventually ceased in the late 1980s.