Amiga 1000 | 1985
Amiga 1000
The Amiga 1000, also known as the A1000, was released by Commodore International in 1985 as the first personal computer in the Amiga series. It featured a powerful 16/32-bit Motorola 68000 CPU, which was advanced for its time, and was equipped with one of the best graphics and sound systems available. The A1000 ran a preemptive multitasking operating system that fit into 256KB of read-only memory and shipped with 256KB of RAM. The primary memory could be expanded by 256KB with a manufacturer-supplied module, bringing the total to 512KB. It could also be expanded externally up to 8.5MB.
The A1000 had unique design features that set it apart from later Amiga models. It was the only model to feature the Amiga check-mark logo on its case. The case was slightly elevated to create a "keyboard garage" where the keyboard could be stored when not in use. Inside the case, the signatures of the Amiga designers, including Jay Miner and his dog Mitchy's paw print, were engraved. The case design was done by Howard Stolz, who worked closely with Sanyo in Japan to produce the A1000's casing.
The A1000 came in two variations: NTSC and PAL models. The NTSC model was the first to be released and was sold in North America, while the PAL model was manufactured in Germany and sold in countries using the PAL television standard. The early NTSC models lacked the EHB video mode, which was present in later Amiga systems.
Due to bugs in the operating system at the time of release, the A1000 did not have the OS in ROM. Instead, it featured a daughterboard with 256KB of RAM known as the "writable control store" (WCS), into which the operating system was loaded from a floppy disk. The WCS was write-protected after loading, ensuring that system resets did not require reloading the OS. In Europe, the WCS was sometimes referred to as WOM (Write Once Memory), a play on the traditional ROM (Read-Only Memory).
The A1000 featured a Motorola 68000 CPU running at 7.15909 MHz for NTSC systems or 7.09379 MHz for PAL systems. The system clock was derived from the video frequency, allowing the A1000 to operate with a single crystal. The computer featured a built-in composite video output, but it also had an analog RGB output for higher-quality displays. There was also a "TV MOD" output for connecting to older televisions with an RF modulator.
Introduced on July 23, 1985, the Amiga 1000 began shipping in September with a base configuration of 256KB of RAM for $1,295. A 13-inch RGB monitor was available for an additional $300, bringing the total system price to $1,595. The A1000 was marketed as simply "the Amiga" in the United States, without the Commodore logo on the case, though the Commodore branding remained for international versions.
The A1000 received positive reviews for its multitasking capabilities, graphics, and sound. Compute! praised it as an affordable, versatile computer suitable for business, gaming, and digital art. Computer Gaming World noted its excellent performance without significant hardware limitations, and Creative Computing called it a "dream machine" despite some minor criticisms. Later reviews, like those from InfoWorld, pointed out bugs and a sparse software library, but still appreciated the potential of the system.
In 1994, when Commodore filed for bankruptcy, Byte magazine called the Amiga 1000 "the first multimedia computer," ahead of its time in many ways. In 2006, PC World ranked the Amiga 1000 as the 7th greatest PC of all time. The same year, IDG Sweden ranked it the 10th best computer of all time.
