2. Commodore International Limited, or just simply Commodore was an
American home computer and electronics manufacturer founded by Jack
Tramiel. Commodore International (CI), along with its subsidiary
Commodore Business Machines (CBM), was a significant participant in the
development of the home personal computer industry in the 1970s and
1980s. The company developed and marketed the world's best-selling
desktop computer, the Commodore 64 (1982),and released
its Amiga computer line in July 1985. With quarterly sales ending 1983 of
$49 million (equivalent to $108 million in 2019), Commodore was one of the
world's largest personal computer manufacturers.
4. The KIM-1, short
for Keyboard Input
Monitor, is a small 6502-
based single-board
computer developed and
produced by MOS
Technology, Inc. and
launched in 1976. It was
very successful in that
period, due to its low price
and easy-access
expandability.
5. The Commodore PET is a line
of home/personal computers
produced starting in 1977 by
Commodore International.
The system combined a MOS
6502 microprocessor,
Commodore BASIC in read-
only memory (ROM), a
keyboard, a computer monitor
and a cassette deck for data
and program storage in a
single all-in-one case.
6. The Commodore VIC-20 is an 8-bit
home computer that was sold by
Commodore Business Machines.
The VIC-20 was announced in 1980,
roughly three years after
Commodore's first personal
computer, the PET. The VIC-20 was
the first computer of any description
to sell one million units. It was
described as "one of the first anti-
spectatorial, non-esoteric computers
by design...no longer relegated to
hobbyist/enthusiasts or those with
money, the computer Commodore
developed was the computer of the
future."
7. The Commodore CBM-
II series is a short-lived
range of 8-bit personal
computers from
Commodore Business
Machines (CBM),
released in 1982 and
intended as a follow-on to
the Commodore PET
series.
8. The Commodore MAX Machine,
also known as Ultimax in the United
States and Canada and VC-10 in
Germany, is a home computer
designed and sold by Commodore
International in Japan, beginning in
early 1982, a predecessor to the
popular Commodore 64. The
Commodore 64 manual mentions the
machine by name, suggesting that
Commodore intended to sell the
machine internationally; however, it is
unclear whether the machine was
ever actually sold outside Japan. It is
considered a rarity.
9. The Commodore 64, also known as the C64 or
the CBM 64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced
in January 1982 by Commodore International. It
has been listed in the Guinness World Records as
the highest-selling single computer model of all
time, with independent estimates placing the
number sold between 12.5 and 17 million units.
This claim is in spite of the Commodore 64 having
three different Kernal ROM versions, two different
SID sound chip versions, a few different
motherboard versions and two different cases
during its lifetime. Volume production started in
early 1982, marketing in August for US$595.
Preceded by the Commodore VIC-20 and
Commodore PET, the C64 took its name from
its 64 kilobytes (65,536 bytes) of RAM. With
support for multicolor sprites and a custom chip for
waveform generation, the C64 could create
superior visuals and audio compared to systems
without such custom hardware.
10. The Educator 64, also known as
the PET 64 and Model 4064, was a
microcomputer made by
Commodore Business Machines in
1983. It was sold to schools as a
replacement for aging Commodore
PET systems. Schools were
reluctant to adopt the Commodore
64 "breadbox" design due to theft or
vandalism of the smaller, more
exposed components. The 4064
designation followed in line with the
PET's 4008, 4016 and 4032 models
as a 64 KB 40-column model.
11. The Commodore SX-64,
also known as
the Executive 64, or VIP-
64 in Europe, is a
portable,
briefcase/suitcase-size
"luggable" version of the
popular Commodore 64
home computer and the
first full-color portable
computer.
12. The Commodore 16 is a
home computer made by
Commodore International
with a 6502-compatible
7501 or 8501 CPU, released
in 1984 and intended to be
an entry-level computer to
replace the VIC-20. A cost-
reduced version,
the Commodore 116, was
mostly sold in Europe.
13. The Commodore
Plus/4 is a home
computer released by
Commodore International
in 1984. The "Plus/4"
name refers to the four-
application ROM resident
office suite ; it was billed
as "the productivity
computer with software
built-in."
14. The Commodore LCD was an LCD-
equipped laptop made by Commodore
International. It was presented at the
January 1985 Consumer Electronics
Show, but never released. The CLCD
was not directly compatible with other
Commodore home computers, but its
built-in Commodore BASIC 3.6
interpreter could run programs written
in the Commodore 128's BASIC 7.0, as
long as these programs did not include
system-specific POKE commands. Like
the Commodore 264 and Radio Shack
TRS-80 Model 100 series computers,
the CLCD had several ROM-based
office application programs.
15. The Commodore 128, also
known as the C128, C-
128, C= 128, is the last 8-bit
home computer that was
commerciallay released by
Commodore Business
Machines (CBM). Introduced
in January 1985 at the CES
in Las Vegas, it appeared
three years after its
predecessor, the bestselling
Commodore 64.
16. The Commodore 65 is a
prototype computer created
at Commodore Business
Machines in 1990–1991. It is
an improved version of the
Commodore 64, and it was
meant to be backwards-
compatible with the older
computer, while still providing
a number of advanced
features close to those of the
Amiga.
17. The Commodore 900 was a prototype
microcomputer originally intended for
business computing and, later, as an
affordable UNIX workstation. It was to
replace the aging PET/CBM family of
personal computers that had found
success in Europe as business
machines. The project was initiated in
1983 by Commodore systems engineers
Frank Hughes, Robert Russell, and
Shiraz Shivji. Manufacturing was to
commence in 1985 at Commodore
International's West Germany plant, but
only fifty prototypes were made and sold
as development systems before the
project was cancelled.