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In 1976, the tiny start up company, Apple, released their first computer known as the Apple I. However, few people took this computer seriously as it appeared to be more of a kit computer as it did not come with a case. In order to use the computer, one had to understand how to piece the motherboard together with all the other devices. And at the time, there were not a lot of computer stores where one could get the help one needed.

The Apple I was based on the MOS 6502 chip, the same chip used by Commodore and Atari in their 8-bit computers.

The Apple I was sold for US$666.66.

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In 1977, Apple released their second computer, the Apple II. The Apple II was based on the Apple I, but offered several major enhancements:

The first major enhancement is that it came with a plastic case, which was new for electronic devices of the time as they most often came in metal boxes. Without the case, the Apple II would never have become mainstream.

The second major enhancement was the ability to display colour graphics. Most computers of the day came with a single colour used to display text on to the screen. There were not even any graphic environments.

The Apple II had a larger ROM, more expandable memory and a whopping eight expansion slots, which was double what the Atari 400/800s came with.

For a cost of US$1,298, the Apple II came with BASIC hard-coded on the ROM, two game paddles and a demo cassette.

A floppy disk drive was later added to the product line in 1978.
What really made the Apple II sore in sales was the development of the spreadsheet program, VisiCalc. While we take for granted applications like Microsoft Excel, spreadsheets did not exist before VisiCalc. As a result, VisiCalc essentially transformed Apple II into a serious business machine and sold more than one million units, positioning Apple as a serious player in the home computer market.

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In 1983, Apple released the Apple IIe after failing miserably with the Apple III in 1980.

The e stood for enhanced. Among the new features, the addition of a full ASCII character set was significant as the system now supported the ability to enter and display information in lower-case characters.

The Apple IIe added four-way cursor controls along with the Delete and Tab keys and two apple keys for special functions. The computer also provided for an auto-repeat function, which when a key was held down, it would continue printing to the screen.

Sixty-four KB of memory was now standard. Also added was a joystick connector.

An auxiliary slot was added and could support an 80-column display or support up to 128KB of memory.

Innovations in chip consolidation reduce the number of chips from 120 down to 31, significantly lowering the cost of production. As a result, the motherboard design was much cleaner and ran cooler too, which reduced service centre visits from over heating.

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In 1980, Apple released the Apple III. The Apple II was twice as fast with twice the memory of the Apple II. In order to keep the unit quiet, it was built of a single, heavy piece of aluminium with the power supply totally enclosed in the left section with no ventilation.

Now jobs was a bright man, but the constraints on the Apple III were ridiculous. As a result, the motherboard overheated and warped that led to chips popping right out of their sockets causing the unit to fail. Moreover, the real-time clock did not work and the Apple II emulation also had issues.

Apple ended up replacing 14,000 Apple IIIs before they revised the system. However, the newly revised system still had problems and they once again released another version. By this time, Apple had lost a lot of credibility and sales of the new system went no where. As a result, Apple discontinued the line on April 24, 1984 with only 65,000 units sold.

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In 1983, Apple released the Apple Lisa at a cost of US$9,995.00, which is a huge cost even for today's standards.

The Apple Lisa was the first commercial computer to come with a graphical user interface, or what has become known as a windowed environment. This was a significant development that provided a much more friendly and more efficient way of using the computer.

However, the first computer to have a GUI was Xerox's PARC that came equipped with a keyboard and mouse in 1973 at a cost of US$17,000. Due to it's cost, it sold poorly.

While the Apple Lisa was expensive, it was also very slow and its drives were also slow and unreliable. With US$50 million invested, Apple only managed to sell 100,000 units, and a a result, Apple killed the project two years later.

One of the main reasons for the slow access, was the high demand by the operating system on the 5Mhz processor. Unreliable floppy drives did not help either. Spending US$9,995 on a well design and fast computer is one thing, its another on a slow and unreliable system.

However, the Apple Lisa was a significant contribution to the world of computers, which eventually lead to the successful Macintosh line of computers.

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In 1982, Atari introduced the Atari 1200XL. The XL series of computer were smaller, largely due to the consolidation of the main board, power, CPU, OS and three 16KB boards.

The Atari 1200XL was the first in the XL series of 8-bit computers. Competition in the market was getting crowded and fierce. Commodore was the first to maximise their supply line and reduce the number of components per computer, which gave them a competitive advantage.

Atari set up to do the same. However, in doing so, they made several changes that were unpopular with the marketplace:

1) They reduced the number of joystick ports from four to two: this led to incompatibility problems with software.

2) The elimination of an expansion port: this was a standard port on all 8-bit computers of the time, which was used for upgrading the computers with one or many cards/cartridges.

As a result of all these unwanted changes, consumers walked away from the 1200XL in favour of the older 800. Atari withdrew the 1200XL from the market a year later and replaced it with he Atari 600XL and 800XL.

Atari 1200XL Specifications

Microprocessor: MOS 6502C
RAM: 64k
Clock speed: 1.79 MHz
Data bus width: 8 - bits
Address bus width: 16 - bits
Graphics Processor: Antic
Sound Interface device: Pokey
Screen size - Col x Rows: 40 x 24
Sound generation: Four voices
Resolution - Colors/High: 2 / 320 x 192
Resolution - Colors/Low: 16 / 80 x 192
Max colours: 128
Sprites or Missiles: 4

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In 1985, Atari introduced the Atari 130XE 8-bit home computer for US$140.00, which was a hundred dollars less than the Commodore 64.

The 130XE came with 128K, 11 graphics modes, five text modes and four sound channels. It was also compatible with the Atari 400, 600XL and 800. However, while it has 128K, it can only access 64K without bank switching.

The Atari 65XE and the 130XE were the first 8-bit computers released after Jack Tramiel bought Atari. Tramiel was the founder of Commodore Business Machines.

The 130XE was discontinued in late 1987.

Atari 130XE Specifications

CPU: MOS 6502C
Speed: 1.79 MHz
CO-Processors: GTIA (video), POKEY (Sound, I/O), ANTIC (Video), FREDDY (memory)
RAM: 128K
ROM: 24K
Text modes: Five text modes, maximum 40 x 24
Graphics modes: 11 graphic modes, maximum 320 x 192
Colours: 16 colours with 15 intensity level each
Sound: Four channels, 3.5 octaves
I/O ports: Composite video output, Cartridge port, Expansion port, SIO peripheral port (tape, disk, printer, modem), 2 x joystick connectors

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The Atari 1400XL was designed to be the next generation home computer. This prototype included Freddie that included several enhanced features such as memory management. So what does this mean? Well essentially, it allowed the 1400XL to display more colours and more complex graphics.

Another enhancement was the inclusion of a SC-01 speech synthesiser chip. The 1400XL also featured a built-in 300 BAUD modem, which was a good idea as modems were soon becoming a mandatory communication device.

However, with a management change, Atari changed focus and concentrated on developing a 16-bit home computer that would beat the Commodore-Amiga to market.

The Atari 520ST would be Atari's next generation computer.

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In 1978, Ray Kassar became the new CEO of Atari and changed the company's focus to produce a line of computers to compete against Apple II series of computers.

In December, Atari introduced the Atari 400 and 800 models that were built on the 8-bit MOS 6502 processor. The Atari 400 listed for US$549.99 while the Atari 800 listed for US$999.99.

The Atari 400 featured 8KB of memory and a whopping 128 colours, which was huge for the time as most of Atari?s competitors offered no more than 16 colours. However, these high colours came at a cost as it could only support a resolution of 160 x 96.

The 400 had two internal expansion slots, four controller orts and a TV output through a RF modulator. Storage was handled through an optional cassette recorder or 5 ¼ floppy drive.

Despite the much hated membrane keyboard, the Atari 400 was the more popular of the two computers.

The design team for the Atari 400 and Atari 800 included Jay Minor, who was the brain behind the Commodore-Amiga 1000.

Atari 400 Specifications

Price: US$549.95
CPU: MOS 6502,1.8MHz
RAM: 8K base, 48K max
Display: 24 X 40 text; 320 x 192 monochrome; 160 x 96 with 128 colors
Expansion: 2 internal expansion slots; 1 cartridge slot under front cover
Ports: 4 controller ports; TV video output
Storage: external floppy drive; cassette recorder
OS: Atari OS

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In 1983, Atari introduced the Atari 600XL 8-bit home computer as a replacement for the Atari 400. It came with 16K of memory, which was not significant amount as the Commodore 64, released in 1982, came with 64KB of memory.

The Atari 600XL, along with the 800XL, 1400XL and the 1450XL had a lower profile than the typewriter-style Atari 400/800.

The 600XL came with a Parallel Bus expansion port that was important for attaching printer devices. It also came with Basic, which was common for computers of the day.

Atari was having trouble with their production lines that delay the introduction until late 1983. Commodore, which had a much tighter supply line, started a price war and was able to sell the significantly more units despite the Atari 600XL having comparable features. Atari was losing millions each day and their parent company was eager to sell the troubled unit.

Atari 600XL Specifications

CPU: MOS 6502 at 1.79 MHz
Memory: 16K RAM, 24K ROM
Operating System: Basic in ROM
Input/Output: Two joystick ports, Atari cable bus
Bus: Atari daisy-chain cable bus, connects floppy drives, cassette drives, printers

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In 1985, Atari introduced the Atari 65XE 8-bit home computer as a replacement for the Atari 800XL with a low price of US$99.99. The price put in in a price point against the Commodore 64, however, Atari did not learn from failure of the Atari 1200XL: The 65XE did not come with the an expansion port.

The Atari 65XE and the 130XE were the first 8-bit computers released after Jack Tramiel bought Atari. Tramiel was the founder of Commodore Business Machines.

Atari 65XE Specifications

CPU: MOS 6502C
Clock: 1.79 MHz
Memory: 64K RAM, 24K ROM
Operating System: XL Operating System
Input/Output: Cartridge Port, two joystick ports, composite video output, serial bus connector for floppy drive or printer
Resolution: 320x192 max, up to 256 colors, 40x24 text
Bus: Atari serial bus

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In 1978, Ray Kassar became the new CEO of Atari and changed the company's focus to produce a line of computers to compete against Apple II series of computers.

In December, Atari introduced the Atari 400 and 800 models that were built on the 8-bit MOS 6502 processor. The Atari 400 listed for US$549.99 while the Atari 800 listed for US$999.99.

The Atari 800 offered several improvements over the Atari 400 including twice the number of expansion slots. The 800 also had several single purpose co-processors for sound and graphics that took significant load off the main processor, which made the Atari 800 ideal for a games computer.

With the added expansion slots, it was possible to expand the Atari 800 to an 80-column display, 64KB of ram and even add a 5 ¼ disk drive card.

Some expansion cards, like the Atari OS personality card as well as the Atari 8K and 16K memory cards, were encased in plastic or metal cases, which caused the Atari 800 to overheat.

Essentially, the 800 was a powerful computer allowing people to do things they had never before been able to do with any electronic device. The Atari 800 was a highly customisable computer for its time from both a hardware and a software point of view.

While the Atari 800 was discontinued in 1982, it is still in use today by hobbyists.

Design NOTE: The design team for the Atari 400 and Atari 800 included Jay Minor, who was the brain behind the Commodore-Amiga 1000. Jay Minor took the idea of multiple co-processor to a higher level with the Amiga.

Atari 800 Specifications

Price : US$999.95
CPU: MOS 6502,1.8MHz
RAM: 8K base, 48K max
Display: 24 X 40 text; 320 x 192 monochrome; 160 x 96 with 128 colors
Expansion: 4 internal expansion slots; 2 cartridge slots
Ports: 4 controller ports; RGB video output; TV video output
Storage: external 90K floppy drive; cassette recorder
OS: Atari OS

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In 1983, Atari released the Atari 800XL with 64K of memory and several custom chips: Antic, GTIA, Pokey and PIA. The difference between the 600Xl and the 800XL is that the 800XL has 64K while the 600 has 16K.

The design is also much different the the old 400/800 computers. The 400 and 800 computers were typewriter in style and designed to compete against Apple. The newer 800XL, along with the 600XL and 1200XL were designed with fewer parts integrated on to a single circuit board.

The 800XL came with a Parallel Bus expansion port that was important for attaching printer devices just as did the 600XL. It also came with Basic, which was common for computers of the day.

Atari was having trouble with their production lines that delay the introduction until late 1983. Commodore, which had a much tighter supply line, started a price war and was able to sell the significantly more units despite the Atari 800XL having comparable features. Atari was losing millions each day and their parent company was eager to sell the troubled unit.

Atari 600XL Specifications

CPU: MOS 6502, 1.79 MHz
Memory: 64K RAM, 24K ROM: the Atari 600 had 16K
Operating System: Basic in ROM
Input/Output: Two joystick ports, Atari cable bus
Bus: Atari daisy-chain cable bus, connects floppy drives, cassette drives, printers

In 1983, Atari released the Atari 800XL with 64K of memory and several custom chips: Antic, GTIA, Pokey and PIA.

The design is smaller than the 800, had a solid keyboard and moved the cartridge port to the top centre. The system did have some compatibility problems with existing 400/800 software, which was addressed by a translator disk. The 800XL also came with a built in copy of Atari BASIC.

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In 1985, Commodore released the Commodore 128, which was successor to the Commodore 64.

The Commodore 128 featured:

1) 128 kB of memory, which was expandable to 640 kB
2) 80-column RGB monitor output
3) It has two CPUs: The 8502 with a clock speed of 2 MHz clock rate and the Zilog Z80 that was used for CP/M compatibility.

The Commodore 128 also featured three modes:
1) C128 Mode (native mode) that runs at 1 or 2 MHz in either 40- or 80-column mode
2) CP/M Mode in either 40- or 80-column text mode
3) C64 Mode that was close to 100% compatible

The C128 succeeded is solving the issues of the C64 such as not having an 80-column display mode. If you were a big user of GEOS, the 128 was perfect just for that reason with its greater display mode and extra memory.

Quoting Bill Herd, of Commodore: "We considered the C128 to be a holding action until the next generation computers arrived, we were trying to up the game as far as expectations for new machines and buy a year, two at the max in the process. In that we exceeded our intial goals but probably due in part to Commodore's lackluster followthrough on marketing and selling the Amiga."

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In 1984, commodore released the Commodore 16 to compete with other sub-$100 computers from Timex Corporation, Mattel, and Texas Instruments (TI).

Commodore president Jack Tramiel still feared the Japanese would introduce a consumer-oriented computer and undercut everyone's prices. The Commodore Vic-20 was Commodore's first attempt to keep the Japanese out and the Commodore 16 was there second attempt.

While the Japanese dominated the game console market, they were never successful at the home computer market. Moreover, Timex, Mattel, and TI departed the market before the C16 was released.

The Commodore 16 never sold many units and was discontinued shortly after it's release.

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In 1984, Commodore released the Commodore 116, the 264 and the 364.

The Commodore 116 was a more powerful 64K computer that was perfect for the small office or home office market. However, it did not sell well in North America, though it did get some success in Europe.

The Commodore 264 line included the following computers: 116, 232, 264 and 364.

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In 1982, Commodore released the sequel to the top-selling Commodore Vic-20. The Commodore 64 had 64KB of memory, double the colours at 16 and a sound chip that produced a large range of sounds with four channels.

Like the Vic-20, Commodore utilised retail chains to sell the Commodore 64 at a suggested price of US$595.00. In fact, it's selling price was significantly lower than its competitors in the home computer segment and even competed well against many of the Game consoles. Moreover, it had better sound and graphics than the popular Atari 2600.

In 1983, Tramiel focused on market share. He cut the price of the VIC-20 and C64 dramatically. In response, TI cut the price of their TI-99/4A. Before long, there was an all-out price war involving Commodore, TI, Atari and practically every vendor other than Apple Computer. In fact, many have attributed this price war to the video game crash of 1983. By the time the dust had settled, Commodore had shipped somewhere around 17-22 million C64s and in the process drove TI out of the home-computer market, almost destroyed Atari, bankrupted most smaller companies and wiped out its own savings. Trameil had learned from the Japanese how to survive and fight a tough fight and win.

In 1987, Commodore released the Commodore 64 in a stylish beige C-128 style case. While there were no hardware improvements, Commodore supplied the computer with GEOS that provided a good window and icon operating system that offered many office type applications.

All-in-all, Commodore had stunning success with the Commodore by any measure. The computer sold over 17 million computers between 1982 and 1994 and is still in use today. There were over 10,000 applications and games made for the computer as well and there are still hardware add ons made for the 64 as well as many emulators.

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When Chuck Peddle took over Commodore engineering, he convinced Jack Tramiel that calculators were already a dead end and that they should turn their attention to home computers. So what were they doing prior to building computers?

A bit about Commodore

You see, before Commodore built computers, the had very humble beginings. The founder, Jack Tramiel started the company back in 1954 as a typewriter repair store in Toronto, Ontario. He choose the name Commodore because names like Admiral and General were already taken and he wanted a powerful name.

By the late 1950s a wave of Japanese machines forced most North American typewriter companies out of business, and it was at this point that Tramiel turned to building adding machines. In 1962, he changed the company name to Commodore Business Machines (CBM). In the late 1960s, profit margins once again fell as the Japanese firms started producing and exporting adding machines. At this point, the company's major investor sent Tramiel to Japan to understand how to compete against them.

As a result, Commodore soon had one of the most popular and profitable calculator lines in the business. However in 1975, Texas Instruments entered the market and put out a line of machines priced at less than Commodore's cost of the parts. In order to battle against Texas Instruments and remain competitive, Commodore bought MOS Technology, Inc. in order to build their own chips and ensure a steady supply.

After buying MOS, it became apparent that computers were the next big thing and as a result, Commodore changed format again to produce computers, changed it's name to Commodore International, Ltd., moved its financial headquarters to the Bahamas and moved its operational headquarters to West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Back to the Pet
So, having purchased Mos Technologies, Chuck Peddle set out to build the Commodore PET computer, which was used primarily in schools due to its tough all-metal construction. However, it did not compete very well in the home setting due to poor graphics and sound that were offered by Atari and Apple.

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In 1984, Commodore released the Commodore Plus/4 with 64 KB of memory for US$299. However, it was discontinued in 1985 due to poor sales despite being 75% faster than the C64.

The stated goal of the computer was to eventually replace the C64 and to expand the home computer market to users who were more interested in serious applications than gaming.

It offered 121 colour video what was only beaten by the Atari 8-bit computers with 128 colours.

So where did it fail:

1) It did not have sprite capability: this meant no games support.
2) Commodore released the C116 and C16 at the same time.
3) Peripheral compatibility with the C64 was inconsistent.

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In 1980, Jack Tramiel declared that he wanted a low-cost colour computer. When most of the GMs argued against it, he said that it order to compete against the Japanese, Commodore must become the Japanese. Trameil had learned from the typewriter and calculator market that to be successful, he would have to change how they did business.

In 1981, the result was the Commodore Vic-20. It only had colours, a 22-column display, but it was sold through retail channels with an emphasis on discount and toy stores where competed against game consoles.

Commodore's main marketing focus was to compare their full functioning computers to the popular game consoles. After all, computers could help with school, where game console could not. Moreover, the VIC-20 could also run many popular arcade games.

Despite its limited video display, only 3.5 of usable memory, it was a stunning success. It was the best-selling computer of 1982 with 800,000 machines sold. In January 1983, it passed the 1 million unit mark that was a first in computer history. It was so popular that Commodore was making 9,000 units per day at it's peak with 2.5 million being sold before being discontinued in 1985.