GoKawiilCommodore 64 turns 43: how the $600 machine became the best-selling computer ever
The Commodore 64 debuted around September 1, 1982, offering 64 kilobytes of memory at a price under $600, undercutting every rival with similar capacity. Early manufacturing was based in Santa Clara before quality issues pushed Commodore to outsource production to Japan's Kentron, which was mass-producing units by January 1983. Within six months the machine had sold half a million units, and it went on to sell roughly 10.6 to 12.3 million units total, making it the best-selling computer model in history.