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ATARI 800 XL
The Computer The ATARI 800XL was intended as a direct competitor to the Commodore C64 and contained 64KB. Concerning the performance data the 800XL was far superior to the Commodore C64, because he could display 256 colors, as well as offer a 6502 system clock of 1.7 Mhz (the Commodore C64 could only display 16 colors, as well as offered only a MOS 6510 (6502) system clock of 1 Mhz). In direct comparison, ATARI's sound chip "POKEY" seems a bit stepmotherly, which couldn't spread the fascination like the 6581 SID sound chip from Commodore. Development At the beginning of 1983, the development of the 800 XL model began at Atari with the special components ANTIC, GTIA and POKEY. A special variant of the 6502 called "SALLY" served as the core, which offered a system clock of 1.7 Mhz. This development had been necessary, because in 1983 the introduction of the 1200XL, which also offered 16 KB and 64KB, remained without success. One reason for the failure of the 1200XL were incompatibilities (new memory allocation), the missing BASIC, as well as the high introduction price of $899. ATARI wanted to learn from these mistakes and presented the new computers on the CES Show June 1983. Sales & Problems The production and the availability of the new models was delayed until the end of 1983, so that the Christmas sales 1983 was missed to a large extent. In some countries the delivery bottlenecks were so drastic that the new ATARI XL models became available only in spring/summer 1984. The too high selling price in comparison to the Commodore C64 led also to the fact that quite consumers seized to the clearly inexpensive C64 product. At the beginning of 1984 ATARI surprisingly increased the selling price by $40, in order to be able to produce cost-covering, and to want to end so the broken out price war. This behavior changed only with the takeover of ATARI by Jack Tramiel in July 1984, who lowered the price of the XL models drastically, reaching about the current selling price of the C64. In the course of the year 1984 Jack Tramiel offered XL bundle offers, in order to remain even under the prices of the C64. With success, because 1984 ATARI could sell so approximately 600,000 units of the 800 XL model. The new 800XL model found its way into many US schools. Sellout In November 1985 ATARI announced the discontinuation of the production of the 800XL model. Although modern versions were still produced in the form of the XE series, Jack Tramiel concentrated mainly now more on the 16-bit computer development in the form of the new ST computers. About 2-3 million units of the 800XL model were sold worldwide. In direct comparison with the Commodore C64, these are rather low sales figures, because different estimates assume that the Commodore C64 sold about 25 million units worldwide. |
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