1982: Commodore released the Commodore MAX Machine in Japan. It is called the Ultimax in the US, and VC-10 in Germany. The MAX was intended to be a game console with limited computing capability, and was based on a very cut-down version of the hardware family later used in the C64. The MAX was discontinued months after its introduction, because of poor sales in Japan.
1983 saw Commodore attempt to compete with the Apple II's hold on the U.S. education market with the [[Educator 64]], essentially a C64 and monochrome monitor in a PET case. Schools preferred the all-in-one metal construction of the PET over the standard C64's separate components, which could be easily damaged, vandalized or stolen.
In 1984, Commodore released the SX-64, a portable version of the C64. The SX-64 has the distinction of being the first ''full-color'' portable computer. The base unit featured a CRT and an integrated 1541 floppy disk drive. The SX-64 did not have a cassette connector.
CommodoreReleased in 1985, specifically two designers; Fred Bowen and Bil Herd, were determined to avoid the problems of the Plus/4, making sure that the eventual successors C128 is a significantly expanded successor to the C64—the Commodore 128 (1985) and 128D computers (1986)—were as good asC64, and fully compatible with the original, as well as offering nearly full compatibility. It is housed in a host redesigned case with an improved keyboard including a numeric keypad and function keys. Memory was enlarged to 128KB of improvements (such as a structured BASIC with RAM in two 64KB banks. A separate graphics and sound commands, chip provided 80-column display capability, and full CP/M compatibility). The decision color video output in addition to make the Commodore 128 compatible with the original C64 was made quietly by Bowen and Herd , software and hardware designers respectively, without the knowledge or approval by the management in the post Jack Tramiel eramodes. The designers were careful not to reveal their decision until It also included a Zilog [[Z80]] CPU which allows the project was too far along C128 to be challenged or changed and still make run the impending Consumer Electronics Show (CES) show in Las Vegas[[CP/M]] operating system. Upon learning that the C128 was designed to be compatible The huge CP/M software library, coupled with the huge C64software library, Commodore’s marketing department independently announced that gave the C128 would be 100% compatible with the C64, thereby raising broadest range of available software among all the bar for C64 support8-bit systems.
In 1986, Commodore released the Commodore 64C (C64C) computer, which was functionally identical to the original, but whose exterior design was remodeled in the sleeker style of the Commodore 128 and other contemporary design trends. The modifications to the C64 line were more than skin deep in the C64C with new versions of the SID, VIC and I/O chips being deployed—with the core voltage reduced from 12 V to 9 V. In the United States, the C64C was often bundled with the third-party GEOS GUI-based operating system. The Commodore 1541 disk drive received a matching face-lift resulting in the 1541c. Later a smaller, sleeker 1541-II model was introduced along with the 800KB 3.5-inch capable 1581.