The Power of Vintage
8-bit Legacy
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
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MOS-BASED |
ZILOG-BASED |
MOTOROLLA-BASED |
|
|
|
|
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 |
Color Classic
"Apple Macintosh Color Classic"
Priced at $1,399, the Macintosh Color Classic was manufactured from February 1993 to May 1995. However, it was sold up to January 1998 in the European and Japanese markets. The color classic offered the "all-in-one" design, with an integrated colored RGB Sony Trinitron display. It was the first "all-in-one" Mac to adopt a new modern design with many lines and curves.
AT A GLANCE
- The last model of the original "compact" Macintosh family
- 10″ color Sony Trinitron RGB display (viewable size is 8.2")
Compare 16-bit Computers
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.
Apple Mac
"Macintosh 128-512K.. hello Mac"
Released in January 1984, the 128K is the original Apple Macintosh personal computer. The Macintosh features the 680000 CPU from Motorola, a GUI, and bundled with MacPaint and MacWrite.
- The Macintosh 128K was sold for $2,495 ($6,950 in today’s money)
- The 128K Sold over 70,000 units, and the 512K sold much more
Macintosh LC
Released in October 1990, the Macintosh LC is a low-budget personal computer manufactured by Apple until the spring of 1992. The LC stands for "Low Cost" and Apple sold it to schools for almost the same price as an Apple IIGS.
- Initially sold for $2,399 ($5,320 in today’s money)
- The Apple IIe card enables LC to emulate an Apple IIe
Apple II GS
"A Colorful Apple Always Tastes Better"
Manufactured from 1986 until 1992, the Apple IIGS was the first truly multimedia Apple computer. Steve Wozniak was involved in the design and layout of the computer. Based on a 16-bit CPU, the IIGS offers significantly improved graphics and sound compared to earlier Apple II models, while being fully compatible with them (via the Mega II chip). The computer was sold for $999 or about $2,640 in today’s money.
- About 1 million units were ever sold, and the first 50,000 units had a reproduced copy of Wozniak's signature at the front right corner of the case ("Woz Edition")
- GS stands for "Graphics and Sound"
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