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On This Day - 7th January

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Commodore introduces the Commodore 64
1982

Commodore introduces the Commodore 64

Commodore introduced the Commodore 64 at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The new 8-bit home computer featured 64K of RAM, a MOS 6510 processor, the VIC-II graphics chip and SID sound chip, making it a particularly capable machine for its introductory price of $595.

The C64 would become one of the most successful home computers of all time and, in the UK, one of the principal competitors to Sinclair's ZX Spectrum. The two machines were introduced only a few months apart in 1982, beginning one of the defining rivalries of the 8-bit home-computer era.

Image : Commodore 64 — Evan-Amos, Public Domain
Source: Centre for Computing History — Commodore introduces the Commodore 64, 7 January 1982.
The Centre for Computing History records 7 January 1982 as the date on which Commodore introduced the Commodore 64 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Contemporary engineering accounts confirm that Commodore had prepared the machine specifically for the Winter CES in January 1982, where five working prototypes were demonstrated. Volume shipments began later in 1982. The C64 subsequently became a major competitor to the ZX Spectrum in the UK home-computer market.
Commodore Commodore 64 C64 8-bit Home Computers Winter CES Sinclair ZX Spectrum

Also in this month

Other historical information recorded for January.

Your Spectrum Relaunched as Your Sinclair
1986

Your Spectrum Relaunched as Your Sinclair

Your Spectrum magazine was relaunched as Your Sinclair with its January 1986 issue. The magazine had originally launched in January 1984 as Your Spectrum and had become a monthly publication later that year. The change of name reflected plans to broaden its coverage to include the Sinclair QL and future Sinclair computers, although the magazine continued to concentrate heavily on the ZX Spectrum. The first Your Sinclair issue was numbered 1, beginning a new numbering sequence separate from the 21 issues of Your Spectrum.
Source: Your Sinclair, Issue 1, January 1986, Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd.
Your Spectrum was relaunched as Your Sinclair with Issue 1, January 1986. The change was intended to broaden the magazine's coverage beyond the ZX Spectrum to include the Sinclair QL and future Sinclair computers, although the magazine continued to concentrate heavily on the Spectrum.
Your Spectrum Your Sinclair ZX Spectrum Sinclair magazines computer magazines Sportscene QL
Page Revised: 07/09/2026

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