Definition: Amiga

A personal computer series introduced in 1985 by Commodore. Amigas gained a reputation early on as advanced graphics and multimedia machines, and NewTek's Video Toaster application brought it to the forefront of economical, high-end video editing.

The first Amiga was the A1000 with 256KB of RAM, powered by a 7 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU. Subsequent models used numeric designations such as 500, 600, 2000, 3000 and 4000, except for the CD-ROM based CDTV and CD32 in the early 1990s. Higher-end Motorola CPUs were also used in later models.

Amiga History
In 1984, Commodore acquired Amiga Corporation, which had developed a video game chipset. Modified for personal computers, the chipset was the key to the Amiga's advanced graphics for that era. Although the Amiga had a devoted following, by 1994, Windows and Mac dominated the personal computer world, and Commodore went into bankruptcy.

The technology was purchased by Escom, a German PC maker that sold it to Gateway Computer three years later. Only two years passed when Gateway sold it to a private organization that became Amiga, Inc. Under license, the Eyetech Group sold the more modern PowerPC-based AmigaOne until 2005, which ran a prerelease AmigaOS 4 from developer Hyperion Entertainment. The official release of AmigaOS 4 was early 2007, and Version 4.1 debuted in 2008. See Commodore and MUI.

The First Amiga

The A1000 was the first Amiga model, which was introduced in 1985 by Commodore. For years, Amigas were considered the best example of affordable graphics computers, providing sophisticated features available only on much higher-priced systems. (Image courtesy of Amiga, Inc.)