ScuzzBlog: Diaries September 2020
Entry 29th September 2020: Post 1: Amstrad - The numbers game.
Amstrad - The numbers game.
I am sitting there having my breakfast and my serial bowl is
struggling with an Amstrad CPC464 for table space. It gets like
that here. Got me thinking about Mr Sugar and whether he ever
anticipated that his series number for his computers would ever
develop into further versions of the machine.
Whether I am correct or not I view the computers as first as a
model range number then its memory. So the 4 series was a 64K
and the 6 series came in 64 and 128. There was no 5 series though
there was a clever joke about a 5.25" floppy that gave rise
to there being a 525. The 8 came in 256 and 512 as did the 9 with
the same. For the big machine the series became a 1 and the
memory was 512.
Loads of variations on the machines with cassette, floppy, double
floppy and hard drives. Generally the 3" compact diskette and
monitors that held the PSU that drove the various kit.
For me I was hooked on the Amstrad from 1987 to 1993. I had been
very much a Spectrum guy but wasn't impressed by my Spectrum+2.
Interesting that Sugar bought out Sinclair and gave us machines
with proper keyboards and built in tape drives and 3" disk drives.
Amstrad may have had their faults, but they were always innovative.
They never swam with the majority view always trying to develop
different ways of doing things. I mean who would put the PSU in
the monitor, or the batteries in an easy to access tray that in
no way could like ever destroy a motherboard. And who in their
right mind would fit a Sega Mega Drive to their PC.
I was never a fan of Amstrad in the early days, cus they fitted
way too much cheap crap to their Hi-Fi systems. I was a great
believer in less is more when it came to gadgets. I would much
prefer to pay higher sums for less if it meant better quality.
Sadly, I wish I had ignored my preconceptions and bought a
CPC464 when I had the chance. I would have moved on to the 6128
I am sure and really never looked back. I do believe that the
CPC6128 was/is a really great computer.
Anyway, enough of that. I enjoyed my life on the PCW9512 and
certainly got my moneys worth. When I do these reviews of older
computers I always feel sad at the lack of variety in the
market today. It was a great joy to me in the eighties of having
just so much product on the shelves. The fierce competition
stimulated accelerated growth in the computer in the day and I
like to think that Amstrad contributed something to that.
Anyhoo, here are some random images of the Amstrad range. Just
to show that the Amiga doesn't have it all its own way here. And
neither does my breakfast bowl.
Amstrad - The numbers game.
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