The Obituary
Commodore began in 1954 as a typewriter repair business and, under Jack Tramiel, became a home-computing powerhouse. The Commodore 64, launched in 1982, sold somewhere between 12.5 and 17 million units — the best-selling computer model in history. Its later Amiga set the standard for multimedia and graphics. But boardroom turmoil, Tramiel’s 1984 departure, and a failure to follow up its hits left Commodore adrift as IBM-compatible PCs took over. Bleeding money and unable to compete, the company filed for bankruptcy in April 1994 and was liquidated.
Worth remembering
- The Commodore 64, launched in 1982, sold an estimated 12.5–17 million units, the best-selling computer model ever.
- Its Amiga line led the market in multimedia and graphics in the late 1980s before mismanagement squandered the lead.
Sources
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.