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| Manufacturer | Commodore Business Machines (CBM) |
|---|---|
| Type | Home computer |
| Release date | August 1982[1] |
| Introductory price | US$595 (equivalent to $1,880 in 2023) |
| Discontinued | April 1994 |
| Units sold | 12.5[2] – 17[3] million |
| Operating system | |
| CPU | MOS Technology 6510/8500 |
| Memory | 64 KB RAM + 20 KB ROM |
| Graphics | VIC-II (320×200, 16 colors, sprites, raster interrupt) |
| Sound | SID 6581/8580 (3× osc, 4× wave, filter, ADSR, ring) |
| Connectivity |
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| Predecessor | |
| Successor | |
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas).[4] It has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-selling single computer model of all time,[5] with independent estimates placing the number sold between 12.5 and 17 million units.[2] Volume production started in early 1982, marketing in August for US$595 (equivalent to $1,880 in 2023).[6] Preceded by the 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.
The C64 dominated the low-end computer market (except in the UK and Japan, lasting only about six months in Japan[7]) for most of the later years of the 1980s.[8] For a substantial period (1983–1986), the C64 had between 30% and 40% share of the US market and two million units sold per year,[9] outselling IBM PC compatibles, Apple computers, and the Atari 8-bit family of computers. Sam Tramiel, a later Atari president and the son of Commodore's founder, said in a 1989 interview, "When I was at Commodore we were building 400,000 C64s a month for a couple of years."[10] In the UK market, the C64 faced competition from the BBC Micro, the ZX Spectrum, and later the Amstrad CPC 464.[11] but the C64 was still the second-most-popular computer in the UK after the ZX Spectrum.[12] The Commodore 64 failed to make any impact in Japan, as their market was dominated by Japanese computers, such as the NEC PC-8801, Sharp X1, Fujitsu FM-7, and MSX.[13]
Part of the Commodore 64's success was its sale in regular retail stores instead of only electronics or computer hobbyist specialty stores. Commodore produced many of its parts in-house to control costs, including custom integrated circuit chips from MOS Technology. In the United States, it has been compared to the Ford Model T automobile for its role in bringing a new technology to middle-class households via creative and affordable mass-production.[14] Approximately 10,000 commercial software titles have been made for the Commodore 64, including development tools, office productivity applications, and video games.[15] C64 emulators allow anyone with a modern computer, or a compatible video game console, to run these programs today. The C64 is also credited with popularizing the computer demoscene and is still used today by some computer hobbyists.[16] In 2011, 17 years after it was taken off the market, research showed that brand recognition for the model was still at 87%.[5]
- ^ "World of Commodore Brochure" (PDF). Pcmuseum.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 14, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ^ a b Steil, Michael (February 1, 2011). "How many Commodore 64 computers were really sold?". Pagetable.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ^ Reimer, Jeremy. "Personal Computer Market Share: 1975–2004". Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
- ^ InfoWorld, February 1, 1982,[1].
- ^ a b "The Commodore 64, that '80s computer icon, lives again". Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ieee85was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Japanese Remixes: VIC-1001 64".
- ^ "Inside the Commodore 64". PCWorld. November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- ^ Reimer, Jeremy (December 15, 2005). "Total share: 30 years of personal computer market share figures". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- ^ Naman, Mard (September 1989). "From Atari's Oval Office An Exclusive Interview With Atari President Sam Tramiel". STart. Vol. 4, no. 2. San Francisco: Antic Publishing. p. 16.
- ^ "Commodore 64 turns 30: What do today's kids make of it?". BBC News. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ^ Zuckerman, Faye (November 17, 1984). "Now Playing". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 46. p. 23. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ^ ""Giant Bomb NEC PC-8801"".
- ^ Kahney, Leander (September 9, 2003). "Grandiose Price for a Modest PC". CondéNet, Inc. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
- ^ "Impact of the Commodore 64: A 25th Anniversary Celebration". Computer History Museum. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
- ^ Swenson, Reid C. (2007). "What is a Commodore Computer? A Look at the Incredible History and Legacy of the Commodore Home Computers". OldSoftware.Com. Retrieved November 19, 2007.