Did you watch the Apprentice this week? The contestants week 5 task was one of my favourites where they have to hunt down a list of products by a specific deadline. One of the items Lord Sugar asked for was the classic Amstrad computer. So I thought I would dust off the history on this classic piece of technology and remind you all why The Amstrad computer was so classic.
“For Lord Alan Sugar, 11 April 1984 was a glorious day. After months of hard work, he took his place in the sumptuous surroundings of Westminster School and, with dozens of journalists sitting before him, lifted the lid on what would, perhaps, be his most famous creation: the Amstrad CPC 464”.
Amstrad was founded in 1968 by Alan Sugar at the tender age of 21. Amstrad entered the market in the field of consumer electronics and during the 1970s they were at the forefront of low-priced hi-fi, TV and car stereo cassette technologies. The company then moved into the realm of computers. The company released The Amstrad CPC 464 in 1984 and it was the first personal home computer built by the company.
“The Amstrad CPC 464 was one of the most successful computers in Europe. More than two million computers were sold. Despite its ordinary characteristics or odd features (like video memory or strange floppy disk format), it was very popular because of its really low price and its interesting commercial concept : all peripherals were sold together (like the Commodore PET that was sold years earlier): CPU/keyboard, tape recorder, monitor (monochrome green or colour)”.
These computers now sell for up to £100 on eBay and are now recognised as a collector’s item. Do you have one of these classic computers hiding in your home or do you have any other classic technology that could be worth a fortune?
http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/2805/amstrad-cpc-464/
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/how-lord-alan-sugars-amstrad-cpc-464-changed-the-face-of-computing-forever-9249375.html
