City of Armadale - History House > Records

5¼ DISK FOR COMMODORE 64 COMPUTER

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c. 1982 - 1994

Overview

Square, flat, black disk with a elongated slot near one edge and a circular hole in the centre.
It has puce coloured stickers on both sides with the text [Side 1 KEYBOARD / CADET / Comodore 64 TM computer / Folio / from / MINDSCAPE INC.]. On the bottom left of the sticker is the text [Developed by Camelot Software / Keyboard Cadet is a trademark of Mindscape, Inc. / Copyright © 1985 Mindscape Inc. 00354]. On the bottom right of the sticker is the text [Folio is a trademark of Mindscape, Inc. / Commodore 64TM is a trademark / of Commodore Electronics Ltd.].

Historical information

The Commodore 64, also known as C64, was a home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International. The C64 name came from its 64 kilobytes of RAM. Retailing at US$595 (equivalent to $1545 USD in 2018) and selling 17 million units worldwide during its lifetime, it was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the highest-selling single computer model of all time. Between 1983 and 1986, the C64 outsold its competitors' products, IBM PC Compatibles, Apple Computers, and Atari 8-bit. This was achieved through selling at regular retail stores, rather than at electronics and computer specialist stores. Aproximately 10,000 software titles were made for the C64, including office productivity applications, development tools and video games. It was discontinued in April 1994, although it remains popular in society today with collectors and computer enthusiasts. In 2018, the C64 mini 'retro' console was announced, introducing a new generation to the wonders of the C64.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-33-COA2010.82A

Themes

People
Social History

Material

Plastic

Width

134 mm

Height or length

134 mm

Inscriptions and markings

Mindscape, Inc.

Keywords

UNITED STATES of AMERICA

Commodore Business Machines Pty Ltd

BROWN Ken Mr

WINDSCAPE Incorporated

Place made

Northbrook
Ilinois
United States

Year

c. 1982 - 1994

Statement of significance

This object is part of a collection that represents the types of technology that were used on a daily basis by people who lived in worked in the City of Armadale. The collection represents how technology has influenced how people lived, worked and played within the City of Armadale. The collection also is representative of how technology evolves and can become obsolete which in turn can make pastimes, jobs and skills evolve or become obsolete.

Comparative significance criteria

Interpretive capacity

Object’s condition or completeness

Rare or representative

Well provenanced

City of Armadale - History House

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