How did the Amiga fare in Australia?

[ScottJClifford]

I noticed more than a few members are from Aus. Did the Amiga sell well down there? Everytime I mention the Amiga here in the U.S people look at me like I'm nuts :crazy:

[amigadave]

I noticed more than a few members are from Aus. Did the Amiga sell well down there? Everytime I mention the Amiga here in the U.S people look at me like I'm nuts :crazy:

You are just hanging out with the wrong people I guess. :laughing:

Only extreme computer geeks and old TV and video production people remember the Amiga in the USA.  From what I have read, it appears that the Amiga was very popular in Australia, but I don't know how many units actually sold there.  Remember that there was several very good software and some good hardware Amiga projects that came from Australia.  Video & Audio Co-Pilot, DOpus, GPFax and the OpalVision card are just a few that immediately spring into my memory, but there were many more Amiga products from Australia.

[Fingers]

I've got no idea on the actual figures, but the good 'ole A500 must've sold quite well here, as I recall many of my friends having them (most just for games) back in the day.

There was also this towered machine I fiddled with Lemmings on at a girlfriend's friend's house. Turns out it was an A4000T, which I'll bet they just binned

That being said, even my friends that had them look at me like I'm nuts for having Amigas in 2010!

PZ.

[coldfish]

In its heyday it shared almost the same amount of retail space as the PC for a while.  I remember going to large chains and having two or three 6x6" shelves full of software. The PCs always had more hardware on offer as "Amiga" here in Aus meant almost exclusively the A500.  There were smaller stores that sold other models but my experience is that seeing big box Amigas in retail chains was rare.  

AGA didnt fare well here, the Amiga was already a deminishing platform when it appeared.  I remember seeing  A1200s in one large retailer but they were relegated to the dingy corner while PCs dominated the well lit areas.  Later, I saw the A1200 demo model for sale for 1/4 of retail price and almost bought it. They sold off all the Amiga software over a couple of weeks and didnt restock.

The CD32 was all but non-existant, only one of the smaller retailers stocked it for a few months, before the PS1 pushed it off the shelf for good.

Most of the Amiga centric mags either folded or rebranded to other platforms within months of C= going under.

My memory is that the Amiga userbase in Aus was probably something like 90%+ A500s, used for games. When other things came along like the 386,  Megadrive(Genesis) and Snes they absorbed this 90%.  Leaving only the minority of big box Amiga users to continue.

I'd be surprised if the Amiga userbase got above 1/2 a million here?  The C64 by comparison was everywhere probably in the millions, everyone I knew owned one.

[ElPolloDiabl]

They were quite popular until the 486 came below $2000 then the hardcore gamers went PC. Anyone who was just using it as a games machine went Nintendo or Playstation. There were quite a few Amiga people who upgraded to an A1200 (from an A500). A small amount of A4000/A3000 users and just a few more A2000 users. A great deal of the hardware would have gone to the rubbish tip, back when you couldn't give away an Amiga.
Back then I thought computers would evolve, but in reality they just got more bloated, faster at some tasks inc higher resolution graphics. They got dumbed down too much I guess.

[Fairdinkem]

The Amiga was very strong here in Australia but as mentioned when the 486 came onto the scene with soundblaster cards and games like Myst, Doom, Wing Commander and Consoles like 3D0, Sony Playstation, Nintendos the Amiga faded into insignificance.

The Amiga here in Victoria was very strong, a school I went to had a room full of Amiga 1200's and Amiga 4000's for Art students to use! It was heaven for an Amigan such as myself.

[Kesa]

Put it this way. I've been a passionate amigan since about 1988 and in all that time until today i have only ever seen 3 different models in real life. The A500, A600 and the CD32. I have never even seen a A2000, A3000 or A4000 or even a A1000. I only knew a handful of people who used amigas and they just used the A500 for games and stuff. Most people in my school used PCs or Nintendo or segas.

C64's on the otherhand were quite popular...  :rolleyes:

[Xanxi]

Sysinfo, the ubiquitous software, is from Australia, isn't it? :-)
So are the Blitz Basic and Skidmarks if i'm correct.

[Akiko]

Anyone else remember the two A500's they had on the TV set Neigbours?

[Fairdinkem]

Put it this way. I've been a passionate amigan since about 1988 and in all that time until today i have only ever seen 3 different models in real life. The A500, A600 and the CD32. I have never even seen a A2000, A3000 or A4000 or even a A1000. I only knew a handful of people who used amigas and they just used the A500 for games and stuff. Most people in my school used PCs or Nintendo or segas.

C64's on the otherhand were quite popular...  :rolleyes:

Well I have purchased here in Australia An Amiga 500, 1200, CD32..... I have used and seen in Australia as follows Amiga 1000, Amiga 500, Amiga 1200, Amiga 600, Amiga 2000, Amiga 1500, Amiga 3000, Amiga 4000D, Amiga 4000T (Genuine), Amiga CDTV, Amiga CD32, Amiga CD32 with both SX1 and Sx2 Expansion.

I have seen the following for sale in Australian stores for sale like Maxwells, Myer and small computer stores like MVB and Cplus. Amiga 1500 and Amiga 2000, Amiga 3000, Amiga 4000, Amiga 1200, Amiga 600 and the humble Amiga 500, The CD32 and CDTV.

I guess what I am trying to say and prove is that they existed here in Australia in a big way.

The Amiga flag is still flown here in Australia, I attend a monthly User group one of two groups in Victoria and there is a group in Sydney Australia also.

[Fairdinkem]

Sysinfo, the ubiquitous software, is from Australia, isn't it? :-)
So are the Blitz Basic and Skidmarks if i'm correct.

I also believe Directory Opus was made by an Australian from Queensland if I am not mistaken.

[Fairdinkem]

Anyone else remember the two A500's they had on the TV set Neigbours?

Yes I do remember :lol:

[Xanxi]

Not to mention Cammy, that is using half the amiga computers left in Australia alone

[tasmanian guy]

Not to mention Cammy, that is using half the amiga computers left in Australia alone

Remember there is a Tassie user down here with an Amiga 1200 in a rack and now a CD32!
 
I've got a Mac Mini G4 1.5 but I have yet to install Morphos on it, which I will do in due course!

[Kesa]

Well I have purchased here in Australia An Amiga 500, 1200, CD32..... I have used and seen in Australia as follows Amiga 1000, Amiga 500, Amiga 1200, Amiga 600, Amiga 2000, Amiga 1500, Amiga 3000, Amiga 4000D, Amiga 4000T (Genuine), Amiga CDTV, Amiga CD32, Amiga CD32 with both SX1 and Sx2 Expansion.

I have seen the following for sale in Australian stores for sale like Maxwells, Myer and small computer stores like MVB and Cplus. Amiga 1500 and Amiga 2000, Amiga 3000, Amiga 4000, Amiga 1200, Amiga 600 and the humble Amiga 500, The CD32 and CDTV.

I guess what I am trying to say and prove is that they existed here in Australia in a big way.

The Amiga flag is still flown here in Australia, I attend a monthly User group one of two groups in Victoria and there is a group in Sydney Australia also.

I was not aware of this and thankyou for clearing this up

But also realise i was only a tiny kid in the early 1990's so maybe that's why i didn't see many  :rolleyes:

There are user groups in australia? In sydney and victoria? Why, i had no idea   :hat:

What about newcastle?