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ScuzzBlog: Diaries October 2022

Entry 11th October 2022: Post 1: Amiga 570 - Dead on arrival.


Amiga 570 - Dead on arrival.


There is no better example of the lack of joined up thinking at
Commodore than the ill-fated Amiga 570. Originally incorrectly
badged as an A690 this little gem was launched at the very time
the computer it was designed for was withdrawn from production.

First let us consider the incorrect badging. The unit was first
shown at a computer show as an A690. This would suggest that not
only did it have a hard drive prefix but also intended for an
Amiga 600. If that wasn't confusing enough, then consider that
the A600 had originally been labelled an A300 and dubbed by many
as the computer nobody wanted. What was worse is that it was
unable to support the A570 as it had no side expansion port. What
is interesting is that many A600 motherboards are labelled A300.

Having rebadged the poor thing they announce it required 1MB CHIP
RAM and so no doubt a whole bunch of Amiga enthusiasts went and
modified and upgraded their machines. The unit also needed it's
own power supply which was as big as the A500s power supply. More
clutter to deal with.

Worst was to come cus at around this time the guys at Commodore
introduced the Amiga 500Plus without any formal launch and then
announced they were discontinuing the A500. And then in a blink
of an eye pulled the A500Plus from the shelves and released an
A600 that had no way of utilising the A570.

This at a time when Commodore were pushing the CDTV with the same
sloppy caddy system, knowing in truth the CD32 was just in view
and there were plans for a CD1200 for the A1200 when it finally
arrived. Interestingly the CD1200 would not connect into the neat
little PCMCIA slot on the side of the computer but instead use a
clumsy ribbon connector through the bottom trap door that then
prevented use of the accelerator card.

I think you get the picture. The A570 was ill-conceived, late to
the game and quite useless to the next generation of Amiga users.
It demonstrated a complete lack of imagination when structuring
any current or future product line. Just appeared to be a case
of 'launch and be dammed' and just keep your head down and hope
that nobody notices the blunder.

Sadly, I sense that whilst Amiga 500 users of the day may just
have stomached a discontinuation of their computer in favour of
a new gleaming shining product, I doubt they were going to be
fooled into seeing the A570 as anything other than a waste of
money. Had it arrived a year or two earlier it may have had some
relevance, but not when Commodore knew they were going to be axing
the very computer that supported it.

Anyhoo, this little baby is probably a rare beast to have in your
collection. It does serve as a great source for data like images,
files and even videos for the A500. If you get one remember the
1MB chip issue and the need for the power supply. Also get your
hands on a manual. It isn't a waste of money as a retro expansion,
it just was a little hard to understand in the day.

Hope that makes sense.

Amiga 570 - Dead on arrival.


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Last updated 11th October 2022

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