Commodore International
 | |
| Industry | Electronics Computer hardware Computer software |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1954 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Founder | Jack Tramiel |
| Defunct | April 29, 1994 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
| Headquarters | West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States |
Key people | Jack Tramiel Irving Gould (Main investor and Chairman) |
| Products | Commodore PET Commodore VIC-20 Commodore MAX Machine Commodore 64 Commodore 16 Commodore Plus/4 Commodore 128 Amiga Amiga CD32 |
Commodore is the common name for Commodore International Limited, a U.S. computer and electronics manufacturing company. Headquarters were in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
In the 1960s they made typewriters and later calculators. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Commodore was one of the largest producers of home computers. They are famous for cutting in 1983 the price of their products so aggressively that it created a "home computer war".
The first computer model produced was the Commodore PET in 1977. It came with a keyboard and a monochrome monitor. This was followed by the first color computer, known as the VIC-20. This computer sold for under $300 in 1981, around $1000 in today's money.
The company also sold about 22 million Commodore 64 machines, introduced in 1982. It is believed to be the biggest-selling computer in history. Commodore later released the Amiga line of computers in 1985.
The company went bankrupt in 1994.
