Back in the day
One of my current fascinations is looking back at the early days of home computing. Below is a quick write up I did on the Commodore 64 for my Research Methods class. My first computer was a C64, probably back in ‘88. I went to a funny little school that had us programming history trivia games for each other in first grade. It’s something I completely forgot about until recently, but its obviously where my relationship with computers and making began.
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in 1982. During the C64’s lifetime, sales totaled between 12.5 and 17 million units, making it the best-selling single personal computer model of all time. It is sometimes compared to the Ford Model-T for its role in bringing a new technology to middle-class households via creative mass-production.
The roots of the C64 stretch back to 1958, when Jack Tramiel founded Commodore International, a Canadian company which assembled electronic typewriters. Over the next twenty odd years Commodore International extended into the enterprise electronics market, focusing primarily on the production of adding machines and desktop calculators. By the late 70s the company was in trouble due to a mix of poor management, Japanese competition, and Texas Instruments, who had until then supplied Commodore with chips, entered the market and undercut them.
In an effort to vertically integrate their supply chain, Tramiel and new partner Irving Gould, purchased a small semiconductor manufacturer in Pennsylvania called MOS Technology. At the time of purchase, MOS was developing the 6502 microprocessor, which would become one of the major microprocessors of the 80s. Luckily for Commodore, Tramiel didn’t cut the project as he did with many others, even though he wouldn’t come around to the idea of entering the home computing market for several more years.
In 1981, realizing a majority of both Apple and Atari’s markets were in home computing, Tramiel decided to make the leap. He wanted to create a color computer that cost under $300, which became a reality in the VIC-20. The VIC-20 brought together the 6502 and 5K of RAM, with the MOS VIC chip which generated a whopping 20 columns of color display and output a small amount of sound. A smashing success, the machine positioned Commodore International as the most popular manufacturer of home computers in the US.
At the time, popular demand for higher computing power was fast outpacing the level at which even an expanded VIC-20 could handle. Fortunately, Tramiel was shrewd enough to see this coming. He ordered the production of an enhanced machine with 64K and the next generation VIC chip which supported 40 columns of display. This was the Commodore 64, which was released at a price of $595 in January 1982.
The success of the Commodore 64 did not come primarily from its advanced graphics and low price, but mainly from Tramiel’s marketing efforts. He ordered a large number of C64s to be produced before the release announcement, then offered them through mass-market retailers like Kmart and Toys R Us. Until then, home computers were sold only through electronics stores such as Radio Shack. Paired with this, C64’s were offered with a $100 rebate if purchased with the trade in of any other home gaming machine. By 1984, the C64 dominated the market, and made Commodore International a $1 billion company.
Reference:
http://www.floodgap.com/retrobits/ckb/secret/history.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_International
