With the C64, Commodore presented the first mass-produced computer for home use in 1982. He revolutionized life as we knew it.
Computers rule the world. Our life without computers? Inconceivably! In the early days, computers looked like flashing refrigerators, with buttons and wires. The first large calculating machines took up entire rooms. At that time, computers were mostly used in research or at universities. In home use, pocket calculators have long been considered a technical marvel. Until a company in the USA had the brilliant idea of bringing computers into people’s living rooms. It is the Commodore company. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 1982, Commodore presented the C64. At this point in time, no one suspects that the most successful home computer of all time has seen the light of day.
This man invented the C64
The forefather of the C64 has a name: Jack Tramiel. This man has an idea. The managing director of Commodore wants to make computers suitable for the masses. However, the C64 is originally intended to be a games console. Because Jack Tramiel recognizes the potential of the new generation of computer chips. The CPU 6510 chip introduced in 1980 is ideal for programming computer games.
Atari already had a games console suitable for the masses. Commodore is celebrating its first successes with the VC-20 computer at the time. However, the predecessor of the C64 has some technical shortcomings. That’s why Jack Tramiel changes his ambitions. From now on, the Commodore boss is pursuing the idea of bringing a computer onto the market with 64 kilobytes of RAM – hence the name C64 – as well as more colors and sound for less than 1000 US dollars.
That’s how much a C64 cost
The development of the first C64 lasted until 1982. The US technical journalists were enthusiastic. At that time there were already small computers for the home, for example from Apple or Atari. However, these cost a fortune. In addition, none of the competitors offer such a powerful overall package as the C64.
The entire secret of the new computer is contained in a tan rectangular box. Because of the rounded edges, his fans still call him the “bread box” to this day. The main circuit board with all components and connections is hidden under the keyboard.
Commodore falls well short of the price target of less than 1000 US dollars. When it launches in the US, the C64 will be in stores for $600. Computers have never been so cheap.
In Germany, sales of the C64 did not start until January 1983, i.e. a year later. At that time the introductory price was still 1495 German marks. Due to numerous positive test reports in various technology magazines, the demand for the new home computer is increasing rapidly. As a result, the price fell to just under 600 Deutschmarks over the course of the year. Suddenly there are a lot of computers under the Christmas tree in 1983. The C64 developed into a bestseller, not only in Germany.
Computer games make the “bread box” socially acceptable
This is not only due to the unbeatably low price. Many manufacturers of computer games publish games for the C64. At the same time, an eager hacker scene developed. As a result, the games spread illegally in the schoolyard, but very quickly. Commodore boss Jack Tramiel’s original idea of developing a cheap and powerful games console has at least come true within the younger generation.
Because gambling is really fun on the C64 for the first time. Despite the computer capacity, which is unimaginably small today, the game developers get the maximum out of the C64. As a result, young people suddenly spend several hours on the computer, much to the annoyance of their parents. Since the C64 can be connected to the TV, there is no need to even buy a monitor.
However, it is not possible without additional equipment. In order to be able to load the games, you have to buy a datasette for just under 200 Deutschmarks or a floppy disk drive for around 900 Deutschmarks. Many C64 owners choose the cheaper and slower datasette. Here the games and programs load via a normal compact cassette.
This is much faster with the drive. Flexible 5 ¼ inch diskettes are used as the medium. To get an idea of how much data fits on such a floppy disk: Each side has a storage capacity of 175 kilobytes. In order to store a single smartphone photo on it, ten such diskettes would be necessary.
Also read: Cult games console Amiga 500 comes back as a mini version
Programming is a cult
However, the C64 is not only used as a gaming computer. The Commodore computer uses the BASIC programming language as its operating system. Even without an IT degree, countless small programs are created in children’s rooms at home, which make working with the C64 even more convenient.
The small, technical marvels are partly distributed free of charge. Many well-known programmers find their professional destiny through BASIC and the C64. Programming suddenly became a cult in the mid-1980s.
Many freelancers also use the C64 for work. There are no laptops or anything like that yet. Texts can also be written or tables created on the inexpensive home computer. Special music and painting programs will follow later to compose songs or create digital works of art on the computer.
Also read: How did Microsoft come about? The history of the technology giant
Commodore misses the connection
The C64 appears in slightly modified versions until 1994. Compatibility does not suffer from this. All programs of the previous computer versions also run on the new C64 generations. In 2018, the computer even came back as a new edition, the C64 Mini.
However, Jack Tramiel is long history. The forefather of the C64 left Commodore in 1984 after a dispute. He later switched to the big competitor Atari.
Commodore relied on the success of the C64 for a long time. The model has sold between 12 and 30 million copies worldwide. There is no exact number. The C64 is considered the most successful home computer.
Other Commodore computers follow, for example the C128 or the much more powerful Amiga. This is in direct competition with the Atari ST, of all things, where Jack Tramiel now holds the reins.
However, both computers had to give up the field at the beginning of the 1990s. Meanwhile, the competition in the form of IBM delivers significantly more modern and powerful home computers. Commodore files for bankruptcy on April 29, 1994.
The C64 remains unforgotten. To this day, a strong fan community on the Internet continues to cultivate the myth of the world’s first commercial home computer. C64 Games makes games from back then available for free on the website. There are also tools that convert today’s computers back into a C64. Try it.