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From The Old Ads File Commodore Amiga And Tip Oneill

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by Kevin Maney
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Jun 01 2007 12:00am EDT

From the Old Ads File: Commodore Amiga and Tip O'Neill

You have to wonder: If Commodore didn't spend so much in the 1980s on celebrity endorsers, would its Amiga still be around today?

In the mid-1980s, the Amiga was actually a challenger to Apple and IBM -- in fact, it cost less than rival PCs, and many thought it was a better machine. The Amiga was successful enough to pay for ads in which Tommy LaSorda, the Pointer Sisters, Tip O'Neill and a trio of astronauts all made appearances in a single 30-second spot.

Obviously, the ads didn't work. In 1994, after losing the PC wars to the Mac and the Windows-Intel duopoly, Commodore filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Still, the ad is a hoot...

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