Atari ST versus Commodore Amiga in pictures

[Flashlab]

The first 500 has the same custom chipset as the 1000; OCS. Later came ECS but that didn't add any spectacular differences.

[Flashlab]

You're comparing Atari to Amiga not Commodore? And then you say that Atari have been there longer? You're not seriously saying that 8 bit Ataris have anything in common with their ST successors, are you? Just because they were called Atari doesn't make them one family.

In your logic all predecessors to the Amiga from Commodore should also count; the C64, Vic20, PET etc. They're from the same company. Heck, Commodore was founded in 1954. Does that make them the winner?

[Flashlab]

Tramiel bought Atari when he got kicked out of C=. He knew about Amiga and wanted to buy it; it's just that C= made a better offer in the last minute. We'd call that sniping nowadays I guess!

Anyway that is where the link lies between Atari and Commodore.

Tramiel was the founder of C= in 1954. In the 60's they started to make calculators and in the 70's they started with home computers.

Atari was sold in 1996 by Tramiel and has been nothing but a brand ever since and changed hands more than one time. It has nothing to do with the old Atari. Even Commodore still exist as a company selling PC's.

[Flashlab]

@DigitalQ

Exactly.

On this topic I believe that the ST may have had more units in the market in the beginning it lost the race around 1990/1991 when Amiga took over the market.

[Flashlab]

Yes, and the point being?

They had already beat the ST by then. Now the race was against PC and we all know how that ended.

[Flashlab]

Here we go again:

Introduction Atari ST: 1985
Introduction Amiga 500: 1987

There are your two years difference. In 1990/1991 Atari had lost its lead. In the Netherlands you couldn't buy Ataris anymore in these days in mainstream retail shops. Around 1994 Amigas got the same fate.

I'm not here telling you what was better; just what happened. If you still crave your Atari feelings and ignore history, that's not my problem.

[Flashlab]

No, I don't have exact figures but main retail presence should tell you something. Also what you say is hype does sell machines; look at the Wii.

In my youth in my neighbourhood there was one ST kid and dozens of Amiga kids. This scenario is for the Netherlands around 1990 till 1992. I have no reason to think it was very different in the rest of Europe.

Because you insisted I looked up some numbers:

Around 4 million STs sold worldwide. Amigas around 6 million. Source is the dutch Wikipedia. I don't know how reliable that is. I haven't written the article in case you wonder. I guess my neighbourhood wasn't very Atari minded.

[Flashlab]

You're of course entitled to your opinion but I think you have  weird way to interpret history.

Also you want to keep comparing Amiga to Atari and again you talk about the history of Atari which has nothing to do the ST itself. That makes no sense. Atari was a different comapny then (remember the buy out of Tramiel). And oh Neverwinter Nights has even less to with Atari history than the ST. It seems to me that the marketing people at the different Ataris have at least done a good job to convince you.

It seems to me that you don't know very much about Commodore (spelling the name correctly for starters) and what they have done in computing history. If you insist that Amiga is a copy of the ST and not the other way around then fine but don't expect me to agree.

To end this pointless discussion; here is another mention of the "war".

[Flashlab]

And the point being?

Noone denies that here. Noone denies Atari for what they did in computing history. You seem to be an Atari fan boy two decades too late.

[Flashlab]

They did: 2000, 3000 and 4000 were big box Amigas like the original 1000.

And for the 500, 600 and 1200 models. C= has a big history of all in one home computers BEFORE the ST models. Look at the post earlier in this topic comparing the 500 to the C64 and 128 models with picture.

[Flashlab]

I knew it; classic fan boy behaviour! Even when presented with logic and factual history you just get the "but I feel it's different" answer.

I give up talking sense into you. This gives me the same annoyance like talking to Jehova's witnesses that want to convert me.

[Flashlab]

@all

Sigh, this is just a troll that missed 20 years. All "points" he tries to make have been answered. About comparing companies with platforms, units sold, the difference in design and even the fact about the chipset that was in the A1000 being similar to the one in the A500 two years later. He doesn't want to hear it.

Maybe this one is a candidate for a life time membership on the Retrogeek Computers forum.