Amstrad

Amstrad was founded in 1968 by Alan Sugar, then 21 years old. The name comes from his initials: Alan Michael Sugar TRADing. After making a name for itself in consumer electronics with affordable hi-fi systems, the British company entered the home computer market in 1984 with the CPC 464.

Amstrad's philosophy is based on the "all-in-one" concept: unlike competitors such as the ZX Spectrum or Commodore 64 which required a separate television and cassette recorder, the CPC integrated keyboard, cassette player and were sold with their own monitor. This "plug and play" approach revolutionized the user experience.

The CPC range includes the 464, 664 and 6128 models, followed by Plus versions in 1990. Despite fierce competition, three million units are sold worldwide, mainly in Europe. In 1986, Amstrad acquired the rights to Sinclair for 5 million pounds, adding the ZX Spectrum to its catalog. The attempted GX4000 console in 1990 remains a commercial failure.