Commodore 64, or C64, appeared on the market in 1982, when personal computers were in their growth but also grew exponentially. Previously, computer technology was a large mainframe goods in the research department or government organization. While these companies produce computers that are suitable for home use, that does not mean that everyone can afford it.
In fact, having a computer at home is the privilege at that time – and makes the computer more accessible to stand as the biggest legacy of C64. Computer technology in the 1970s experienced chaotic changes in adapting to serving institutional customers especially to create products for consumers at home. Video games and personal computers explode to the scene at the same time and offer new ways of consumers to interact with technology. But Commodore changes everything, and its iconic products, commodore 64, specifically for a myriad reasons. It’s 10 of them.
This stage is set for companies to come and take markets with storms with innovative products for the masses, and that’s what Commodore does. Apple, Radio Shack, and IBM introduced a personal computer in the late 70s and the early 80s, for the first time, allowing several families to have computers and use it at home for various purposes, according to Brittanica.
People find many uses for personal computers such as accounting, word processing, and video games. At the same time these machines entered the market, Brittaica noted, technology developed rapidly, causing computers to become stronger and cheaper simultaneously. As soon as people get tastes for new technology, the desire to have it increases exponentially. But with the high cost of hardware, it is on the market for low-cost players to meet demand.
While Commodore has been an established technology company for decades, Jack Tramiel’s CEO made many decisions that resulted in lowering production costs, including buying 100% Mos Technology chip maker, Inc. This brings production costs significantly and allows to cut rivals with hundreds of dollars. At the time of introduction, the retail price of C64 was $ 595, according to the Smithsonian.
In 1984, the cost of the Apple Iie 64K MSRP was $ 1395, the cost of Radio Shack TRS-80 III 16K was $ 999, and IBM PC 64K was $ 1,355, as stated in the commodore of the day advertising. While C64 may not come with the same equipment, low initial ownership costs make it attractive to the average working class family.
In addition, because of the fall of the cost of the component at the time, the C64 MSRP fell to a low with $ 230 in the mid 80s, the records on the company’s website. This means that anyone who buys someone should have the ability to budget for additional drives or other peripherals that suit their needs. The vertical integration of the commodore business machine, including ownership of their own chip maker, allows them to sell this low-cost leader to become the best-selling single computer model of all time.
