Editing Commodore Plus/4 (section)

== History ==
[[File:Plus4-animated.gif|thumb|left|Commodore Plus/4 startup screen]]

In the early 1980s, Commodore found itself engaged in a [[price war]] in the home computer market. Companies like [[Texas Instruments]] and [[Timex Group USA|Timex Corporation]] were releasing computers that undercut the price of Commodore's [[Commodore PET|PET]] line. Commodore's [[MOS Technology]] division had designed a [[MOS Technology VIC|video chip]] but could not find any third-party buyers. The [[VIC-20]] resulted from the confluence of these events and it was introduced in 1980 at a list price of $299.95. Later, spurred by the competition, Commodore was able to reduce the VIC's street price to $99, and it became the first computer (of any kind) to sell over 1 million units. The [[Commodore 64]], the first 64&nbsp;[[Kilobyte|KB]] computer to sell for under {{US$|600}} in the US, was another salvo in the price war but it was far more expensive to make than the VIC-20 because it used discrete chips for video, sound, and [[input/output|I/O]]. Still, the C64 went on to become a best-seller and was selling for $199 at the time of the Plus/4's introduction.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/33765143/Compute-Gazette-Issue-12-1984-Jun|title=Compute's Gazette Issue 12 June 1984 Pg 147}}</ref> Even while C64 sales were rising, Commodore president [[Jack Tramiel]] wanted a new computer line that would use fewer chips and at the same time address some of the user complaints about the VIC and C64.

Rumors spread in late 1983 of a new computer in 1984 called the "Commodore 444" or "Ted", with built-in word processing and spreadsheet software, and that it would be one of four new computers that would replace the VIC-20 and C64, which the company would discontinue.<ref name="ahoy198402">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/ahoy-magazine-02/Ahoy_02_February_1984#page/n13/mode/2up | title=Rumor, Innuendo & "Ted" | work=Ahoy! | date=February 1984 | access-date=16 October 2013 | pages=14}}</ref><ref name="wierzbicki1983">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6C8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24 | title=Longevity of Commodore 64, VIC 20 questioned | work=InfoWorld | date=1983-12-05 | access-date=13 January 2015 | author=Wierzbicki, Barbara | pages=24}}</ref> The company's third salvo{{snd}} which, as it turned out, was fired just as most of Commodore's competition was leaving the home computer market{{snd}} was the [[Commodore 116|C116]], [[Commodore 16|C16]], and 264, which became the Plus/4.  There were also prototypes of a 232, basically a {{nowrap|32 KB}} version of the Plus/4 without the software ROMs, and a V364, which had a [[numeric keypad]] and built-in [[speech synthesis|voice synthesis]]. The latter two models never made it to production.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} All these computers used a [[MOS Technology 6502|6502]] compatible [[MOS Technology 6510|MOS 7501 or 8501]] that was [[clock speed|clocked]] approximately 75% faster than the CPUs used in the VIC-20 and C64, and a [[MOS Technology TED]] all-in-one video, sound, and I/O chip. The Plus/4's design is thus philosophically closer to that of the VIC-20 than that of the C64.

The Plus/4 was introduced in June 1984 and priced at {{US$|299|1984|round=-1}}.  The Plus/4 was the flagship computer of the line, featuring {{nowrap|64 KB}} of RAM while the C16 and C116 had {{nowrap|16 KB}}. The Plus/4 had built-in software, whereas the others did not. All of the machines were distinguished by their dark gray cases and light gray keys. This was a reversal of the color scheme on the C64 and VIC, which used lighter cases and darker-colored keys.

Commodore's intent with the Plus/4 was not to replace the C64, but to expand the home computer market and sell the Plus/4 to users who were more interested in serious applications than in gaming.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mos6502.com/friday-commodore/commodore-legends-bil-herd/|title=Interview with Bil Herd}}</ref> By 1984, however, in the US, most of these customers were beginning to switch to the new, low-cost [[IBM PC compatible]]s such as the [[Leading Edge Model D]] and [[Tandy 1000]] series.

It was discontinued in 1985. Although, like the [[Commodore B128]], Plus/4 systems remained available from [[computer liquidator|liquidators]] for years after its discontinuation, the Plus/4 disappeared from Commodore's major markets by 1988.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1989-01/1989_01_BYTE_14-01_PC_Communications_and_Annual_Awards_and_Digitizing_Tablets#page/n464/mode/1up|title=Byte Magazine 1/1989, p. 465|date=January 1989}}</ref>