Commodore 64
A home computer with 64 kilobytes of memory and good graphics and sound that sold in the millions starting in 1982.
Commodore showed the Commodore 64 at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 1982 and began selling it that summer. Jack Tramiel ran the company. The machine had a MOS 6510 processor, the VIC-II video chip and the SID sound chip, which many musicians still use.
Commodore sold it through department stores and toy shops, not only computer stores, and cut the price repeatedly. It started near $595. Estimates of total sales range from about 12 to 17 million units, and it is often listed as the best-selling single computer model.
Why it matters
The Commodore 64 brought computing to millions of homes. Many programmers, musicians and game designers started on it.
Key facts
- Introduced in January 1982.
- 64 KB of RAM.
- SID chip for sound and VIC-II chip for graphics.
- Sold an estimated 12 to 17 million units.
Sources
- Campbell-Kelly, Martin, and William Aspray, et al. Computer: A History of the Information Machine. 3rd ed. Westview Press, 2013.
- Bagnall, Brian. On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore. Variant Press, 2005.
- Computer History Museum, "Timeline of Computer History" (computerhistory.org/timeline).