Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Commodore 64 made its first public appearance in January 1982 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Production costs were estimated at around $135 per unit while retail prices started at $595.
Company sales records indicate total production reached about 12.5 million units despite claims suggesting figures up to 30 million worldwide. The Commodore 64 dominated the low-end computer market for most of the later years of the 1980s except in specific regions like Japan where it lasted only about six months.
Approximately 10,000 commercial software titles have been made for the Commodore 64 including development tools office productivity applications and video games. By 1985, games represented an estimated 60 to 70% of all Commodore 64 software with about 300 cartridges released primarily during the machine's first two years.
Commodore owned MOS Technology's semiconductor fabrication facilities which allowed vertical integration and lower production costs compared to industry standards. Sales figures showed about 360,000 units sold in 1982 followed by a spike to 2.6 million in 1984 while European markets maintained demand longer than North American sales which peaked between 1983 and 1985.
In 2011 seventeen years after being taken off the market research showed brand recognition remained at 87% among consumers. The Commodore 64 Ultimate is an FPGA-based reimplementation retaining compatibility with existing peripherals while offering expanded capabilities and modern connectivity scheduled for shipping in October or November 2025 though actual delivery occurred March 2026 according to January 2026 reports.