The Home Computer market began in the early 1980s when the price-reduction of hardware components made computers affordable for the average European and American family.
During the first half of the decade, many 8-bit computers were released, most of which were based on Z80 and MOS 6510 CPUs.
Table: Popular 8-bit Computers and their CPUs
|
MOS-BASED |
ZILOG-BASED |
MOTOROLLA-BASED |
|
|
|
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Commodore 8-bit (PET, VIC, 16, Plus/4, C64, and C128) |
Amstrad 464, 664, and 6128 CPC |
TRS‑80 Color Computer |
|
Apple 8-bit (Apple II and III) |
Sinclair's Z80, Z81, and ZX Spectrums |
Thomson Computers |
|
Atari 8-bit (400, 800, XL, and XE) |
MSX/MSX2 |
Sinclair QL |
|
Acorn 8-bit (Master, Atom, BBC, and Electron) |
TRS-80 Model |
|
|
Oric (Oric 1, Atmos, and Telestrat) |
Grundy NewBrain |
|
|
|
Jupiter Ace |
|
|
|
Enterprise |
|
|
SAM Coupe |
A comparison of 16-bit computer systems (IBM, Apple, Amiga, Atari, and Acorn Archimedes).
By comparing the features and the price tag (in today's money) of different systems, we can understand how well these computers were competing against each other.