Commodore Asia Holdings Limited is dedicated to building on the strong heritage of the Commodore brand in Asia.  As a company, our values are those that made Commodore so successful: user-friendliness, an open platform, and unprecedented opportunities for personalization.  Check out our products section to see how the Commodore Asia is translating the spirit of Commodore for the Asia market today and tomorrow.

Commodore Heritage

The essence of the Commodore brand is personalization.  Back in the 1970’s and 1980’s Commodore was the first to offer ordinary people computers that they could adapt to their own individual needs and preferences.  They could modify graphic interface, create their own music, write their own programs, and play the video games they wanted whenever they chose.  Hardware, software, and content could be modified and managed by the user as they wished.  This focus on personal freedom went hand in hand with an emphasis on community.  Commodore’s revolutionary technology inspired users to share their knowledge and content with others.

The Commodore brand dates back to the 1950’s, when Polish immigrant Jack Tramiel started a small typewriter manufacturing business in Toronto, Canada.  As competition in this market increased and consumer needs changed, the company’s focus shifted to adding machines in 1962.  Shortly after, they switched to electronic calculators which were considered revolutionary in the late 1960’s.

When the computer age dawned in the 1970’s, Commodore was once again on the cutting edge.  Tramiel changed the company name from Commodore Business Machines to Commodore International, Ltd., and moved operations to the high-tech hub the US state Pennsylvania.  Here he employed a brilliant computer engineer named Chuck Peddle.

Ignoring the conventional parameters of his time, Peddle put together what is now recognized as one of the first consumer-ready personal computers: the Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor).  Its release in 1977 established Commodore as a major name in the home computer market.  Further innovations followed.  In 1981 Commodore introduced VIC-20, the first color computer at a consumer friendly price.  This paved the way for the development of the Commodore 64 personal computer in 1982.
The Commodore 64 (commonly known as the C64) is still recognized today as one of the best-selling computer models.  Between 1982 and 1994 at least 17 million units were sold.  The unique features of this PC, which could be plugged into a television set for video gaming, revolutionized the concept of entertainment in the 1980’s.  Versatile and affordable, with sound and graphics capabilities way ahead of its time, the C64 brought home computing and personalized entertainment within the reach of almost everyone.  Before long enthusiast started to develop and share C64 software and games.  A community of Commodore fans and a legend was born.