It was the first computer to do multitasking and multimedia. Commodore released its Amiga 1000 on July 23, 1985.

Gina Smith, Contributor

July 23, 2011

1 Min Read

Commodore unveiled the Amiga on July 23, 1985. If you're a fan, you know just how ahead of its time this box was.

Based on the Motorola 68000 processor, it was the first multimedia desktop computer. And it multitasked, too. From the beginning, the Amiga included coprocessors to handle audio, video and other tasks. As Amiga fans never fail to point out, it took years for Microsoft and even Apple to catch up with the idea.

The video below, posted by Eric Schwartz on Youtube for its 25th anniversary in 2010, honors the Amiga in all its glory. There are more recent videos, but this is my favorite. And man, I loved the Amiga.

Aw. Happy birthday, Amiga!

Based in San Francisco, Gina Smith is launch editor at BYTE. Follow her @ginasmith888 or email her at [email protected].

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