Commodore 64...................It's Back!

[BJoe]

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/112510/new-commodore-64-nyt#mwpphu-container

The New Commodore 64, Updated With Its Old Exterior
by Nick Bilton
Friday, April 8, 2011


provided by
The New York Times

The Commodore 64 is being re-released for the modern computer user.

I was just 6 years old when the Commodore 64 computer went on sale in the summer of 1982. Although I already owned a computer at the time -- a ZX Spectrum -- I remember my excitement about possibly getting my little hyperactive hands on the newly released Commodore.

At the time, the Commodore computer cost $595 and came with a whopping 64 kilobytes of memory. It also contained a graphics and sound card that stood apart from other computers of the day.

Now, nearly 30 years later, the Commodore brand has taken on new management and is re-releasing its flagship computer, this time with all the amenities of a modern-day computer packed inside.

In its heyday, the Commodore 64 was one of the most successful home computers made, shipping more than two million units a year for almost a decade after its release. Although exact numbers don't exist, experts estimate that the company sold between 15 and 30 million Commodore 64 computers.

But the Commodore 64's success was short-lived. Commodore International, the maker of the computer, declared bankruptcy in 1994 after several bad business decisions and aggressive competition from I.B.M. and Apple.

The new Commodore 64 comes with all the modern amenities needed to surf the Web and play video games.

Barry Altman, president and chief executive of Commodore USA, said he purchased the Commodore trademark in September of last year with the goal of reviving the company and offering a product that no longer exists.

"Thirty years ago computers were an all-in-one product, with the keyboard, memory and components built inside," Mr. Altman explained. "Over the years that has changed, and we believe there is a huge potential to revive the early format."

The new Commodore 64, which will begin shipping at the end of the month, has been souped up for the modern age. It comes with a 1.8 gigahertz dual-core processor, an optional Blu-ray player and built-in ethernet and HDMI ports. It runs the Linux operating system but the company says you can install Windows if you like. The new Commodore is priced between $250 to $900.

The company's Web site says that the new Commodore 64 is "a modern functional PC," and that although the guts of the device have greatly improved, the exterior is "as close to the original in design as humanly possible." Most people would not be able to visibly tell the old or new versions apart, it says.

"The response has been completely dramatic," Mr. Altman said. "We've been averaging about five registrations per second on our Web site. This is from people giving us their name and e-mail address to be kept abreast of updates on the new Commodore."

Some may wonder why someone would want to purchase this type of computer when a world of iPads and laptops exists.

Mr. Altman says he sees two types of customers for the new computer.

"There are a lot of really young computer users who want to own a retro-looking computer," he said. "And of course there are those 30- to 40-year-olds who owned the original Commodore 64 and want the nostalgia of their first machine."

The Commodore can run the Microsoft Windows operating system or a proprietary Commodore OS.

 

[EeePee]

"There are a lot of really young computer users who want to own a retro-looking computer," he said. "And of course there are those 30- to 40-year-olds who owned the original Commodore 64 and want the nostalgia of their first machine."

I have a hard time believing young kids want this. Not when I always hear "I want an iPad cause they look cool!"

 

[Jer]

I think they are shooting for an older crowd, college - 40+ I had a commodore 64 and I would probably buy a new one if I needed another computer.

 

[BJoe]

Found the web page for them now too!
http://commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64.aspx


Wonder if it will be available at Toy's "R" Us like the originals were:ror:

 

[mrpink]

I have a hard time believing young kids want this. Not when I always hear "I want an iPad cause they look cool!"

That doesn't look cool to you EeePee? Looks dead sexy to me.





p!nK

 

[dezrik]

I remember a friend having one of these and it was his dads, we spent most of our time on it lol.

 

[ecoli]

What? No 5 1/4" floppy drive? I'm disappointed, I've been saving these disks for years waiting for a comeback.

 

[RANOVRU]

Just one more stupid idea in an already exhausted sea of stupidity....

 

[tom@vp]

I only had the commodore Vic 20, the 64 came out years later. had to type in your games and when you turned it off you lost them, until the audio tape drive came out then you could save them and reload them.

10 print " Vanquish Products ";
20 let a=1
30 let b=(b+a)
40 if b =100 the goto 99
50 goto 10
99 end

one of my first types of programs ever... i know boring ..

 

[dezfan]

Hell in the 80s, that's what we were using in computer class.:shock:


:ror:

 

[brokennib]

I have no idea why this would be appealing.... it's like if Ford re-released the Model T, only this time it has satellite navigation and air conditioning... I mean whats the point? Might as well go to Goodwill and just get a shitty keyboard, basically the same thing.:roll:

 

[BJoe]

I have no idea why this would be appealing.... it's like if Ford re-released the Model T, only this time it has satellite navigation and air conditioning... I mean whats the point? Might as well go to Goodwill and just get a shitty keyboard, basically the same thing.:roll:

It would be more like Ford bringing the Deuce or '37-'41 models back, but with the drivetrain from the Mustang GT under them for a competitive price. No doubt in my mind that those would sell like mad too"thumbsup"

 

[paintballer9876]

It would be more like Ford bringing the Deuce or '37-'41 models back, but with the drivetrain from the Mustang GT under them for a competitive price. No doubt in my mind that those would sell like mad too"thumbsup"

Cars dont equal electronics.

Its more like take an old tube tv frame and put an led tv in it, its going to be heavy, have curved glass and be big. It will also cost as much if not more than todays led TV's.

Or outfit one of the brick phones with todays latest and greatest, its still going to be big, heavy and would put the company out of business with sales numbering the zero since no phone company would lose money on something that 1-2 people would buy.

 

[brokennib]

Cars dont equal electronics.

Its more like take an old tube tv frame and put an led tv in it, its going to be heavy, have curved glass and be big. It will also cost as much if not more than todays led TV's.

Or outfit one of the brick phones with todays latest and greatest, its still going to be big, heavy and would put the company out of business with sales numbering the zero since no phone company would lose money on something that 1-2 people would buy.

Exactly. No matter the history or the nostalgia, it's still just a big Beige turd.

 

[tom@vp]

its more than that cause you can learn and create on it.

 

[BJoe]

Cars dont equal electronics.

Its more like take an old tube tv frame and put an led tv in it, its going to be heavy, have curved glass and be big. It will also cost as much if not more than todays led TV's.

Or outfit one of the brick phones with todays latest and greatest, its still going to be big, heavy and would put the company out of business with sales numbering the zero since no phone company would lose money on something that 1-2 people would buy.

I agree on the brick phones, unless there's a blunt object app, however a modern TV screen in a semi retro case, maybe turned into an entertainment center would be pretty damn cool too though!

 

[microgoat]

The new Commodore uses the same switches in the keyboard that the old one did. And while this may not sound like a big deal, the best part of the old C64 was the feel of the keyboard; every key gave a satisfying click when pushed. Felt like quality. And back then, 64K was a big deal; you could play games that weren't text-based. The whole computer was built into the keyboard, no tower. The C64 was the Cadillac of personal computers until IBM entered the market, and even that one only had 64K.

It's definitely a niche market, but I think they'll sell.

Brick phones, no. The best thing about them was the novelty of talking without a land line, and that's old news. You could maybe sell them as fitness phones, though.

 

[Jer]

I guess the only thing that is going to show if it's a success or failure is time. I think retro things are neat, especially when they only look retro. I think nintendo should make the next system look like an NES "thumbsup"