Amstrad: Difference between revisions

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Amstrad is a British consumer electronics company that built (amongst other things) several popular microcomputer families.
'''Amstrad''' was a British consumer electronics company that built (amongst other things) several popular [[microcomputer]] families.
 
== CPC ==
== CPC ==
Amstrad's original 8-bit home microcomputer range aimed to provide a complete package: a colour or monochrome CRT monitor supplied power to the computer, which had the keyboard and a cassette or 3" floppy disk drive built in.
Amstrad's original 8-bit home microcomputer range aimed to provide a complete package: a colour or monochrome CRT monitor supplied power to the computer, which had the keyboard and a cassette or 3" floppy disk drive built in.
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*CPC-464+
*CPC-464+
*CPC-6128+
*CPC-6128+
== PCW ==
== PCW ==
Building on the success of CPC home computers, the PCW (Personal Computer / Word-processor) family offered an affordable computer for office use.  Initial models shipped with a 3" single-sided 180K floppy drive and a double-sided "flippable" boot disk.  One side booted into Locomotive Software's LocoScript word-processor.  The other side booted into CP/M-Plus (CP/M-80 3.0).  Initial models shipped with a dedicated dot matrix printer and later models had a daisywheel printer that provided "typewriter quality" output but was rather loud in operation.
Building on the success of CPC home computers, the PCW (Personal Computer / Word-processor) family offered an affordable computer for office use.  Initial models shipped with a 3" single-sided 180K floppy drive and a double-sided "flippable" boot disk.  One side booted into Locomotive Software's LocoScript word-processor.  The other side booted into CP/M-Plus (CP/M-80 3.0).  Initial models shipped with a dedicated dot matrix printer and later models had a daisywheel printer that provided "typewriter quality" output but was rather loud in operation.
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== PC ==
== PC ==
Amstrad built IBM-compatible PCs including the wonderfully weird PC-1512, the popular PC-1640. The PC-2000 series saw a move to 3.5" disk drives and the introduction of models based on the 80286 and 80386 microprocessors.  The PC-3000 series saw a move to more conventional PC construction: the power supply moved from the monitor to inside the system unit's sturdy metal case.  Later series included i486 models, small form-factor PCs and even a model with a built in Sega Megadrive!
Amstrad built [[IBM-compatible PC]]s including the wonderfully weird PC-1512, the popular PC-1640. The PC-2000 series saw a move to 3.5" disk drives and the introduction of models based on the 80286 and 80386 microprocessors.  The PC-3000 series saw a move to more conventional PC construction: the power supply moved from the monitor to inside the system unit's sturdy metal case.  Later series included i486 models, small form-factor PCs and even a model with a built in Sega Megadrive!


[[Category:Computer Manufacturers]]
[[Category: British Computer Manufacturers]]

Latest revision as of 15:30, 12 February 2025

Amstrad was a British consumer electronics company that built (amongst other things) several popular microcomputer families.

CPC

Amstrad's original 8-bit home microcomputer range aimed to provide a complete package: a colour or monochrome CRT monitor supplied power to the computer, which had the keyboard and a cassette or 3" floppy disk drive built in.

  • CPC-464
  • CPC-664
  • CPC-6128
  • CPC-464+
  • CPC-6128+

PCW

Building on the success of CPC home computers, the PCW (Personal Computer / Word-processor) family offered an affordable computer for office use. Initial models shipped with a 3" single-sided 180K floppy drive and a double-sided "flippable" boot disk. One side booted into Locomotive Software's LocoScript word-processor. The other side booted into CP/M-Plus (CP/M-80 3.0). Initial models shipped with a dedicated dot matrix printer and later models had a daisywheel printer that provided "typewriter quality" output but was rather loud in operation.

  • PCW-8256
  • PCW-8512
  • PCW-9512
  • PCW-9512+
  • PCW-10

PC

Amstrad built IBM-compatible PCs including the wonderfully weird PC-1512, the popular PC-1640. The PC-2000 series saw a move to 3.5" disk drives and the introduction of models based on the 80286 and 80386 microprocessors. The PC-3000 series saw a move to more conventional PC construction: the power supply moved from the monitor to inside the system unit's sturdy metal case. Later series included i486 models, small form-factor PCs and even a model with a built in Sega Megadrive!