(...continued)

1984: Winter: At January CES, the Executive 64 is now known as the SX-64. This version, priced at $995, features a built-in 5-inch color monitor and a 170K 5.25-inch disk-drive. The biggest stirrings at CES center around the Commodore 264 and 364. The 264, which is to feature built-in applications software, 60K of RAM, and 128 colors, is expected to be sold for under $500. The 364 is reported to add build-in speech and 48K of ROM. Other product introductions from Commodore include the 1703 Color Monitor, SFS 481 fast Disk Drive for the 264 and 364, 1542 Disk Drive, a plastic screen overlay dubbed the Commodore TouchScreen, the Commodore Light Pen, and the Magic Voice Speech Module. A scaled down version (16K) of the 264 called the TED-16 is introduced after CES with a price under $100. In February, Commodore founder Jack Tramiel moves to Atari. Marshall Smith assumes the leadership role.

Summer: The 264 is renamed the Plus/4. The TED-16 becomes the Commodore 16. Commodore stops production of the VIC-20. The 364 is shelved indefinitely. At Summer CES, Commodore introduces the DPS 1101 daisywheel printer for the Plus/4 and the MPS 802 dot-matrix printer. The MPS 803 dot-matrix printer for the C16 is also displayed. The 1531 Cassette Unit makes an appearance. Also at CES is a group from the Amiga Corporation, quietly showing a prototype of a new machine code-named Lorraine. In August, Commodore purchases the Amiga Corporation. Months later, Tramiel files suit on behalf of Atari over rights to the Amiga.

Fall: Commodore sells its Santa Clara manufacturing center and closes its Dallas Research and Development center. Commodore announces the Educator 64 computer. Old PET casings are pulled out of warehouses, dusted off, and used to house the system. A built-in monochrome monitor is included.

To be continued....

Typed in by Yankee/BRS

This article originally appeared in the Amiga diskmagazine "Zine #3" by Brainstorm 1990.

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