Described as a solution of 'too little, too late', this was Amstrad's effort to prolong the life of its 8-bit computer series in the face of fierce competition from new 16-bit machines (notably, the [[Atari ST]] and the Commodore [[Amiga]]).
While the Amstrad Plus computers were one of the most advanced 8-bit computers ever built for the mass market, they died an early death as the 16-bit era was already in full swing. And 32-bit computers were already appearing. The year before, Amstrad launched its first 32-bit PC, the [[Amstrad PC|PC2386]].
Also, the [[Apple II|Apple IIGS]] and the [[MSX|MSX Turbo-R]] proved that 8-bit machines could be upgraded to 16-bit. It would have been possible with the CPC if Amstrad had decided to do so.