Jack Tramiel
Encyclopedia
Jack Tramiel (born 13 December 1928) is an American businessman, best known for founding Commodore International
- manufacturer of the Commodore PET
, Commodore 64
, Commodore 128
, Commodore Amiga, and other Commodore models of home computer
s.
into a Jewish family.
After the German
invasion of Poland in 1939 his family was transported by German occupiers to the Jewish ghetto in Łódź, where he worked in a garment factory. When the ghettos were liquidated his family was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. He was examined by Dr. Mengele
and selected for a work party, after which he and his father were sent to the labor camp Ahlem near Hanover
, while his mother remained at Auschwitz. Like many other inmates, his father was reported to have died of Typhus in the work camp; however, Tramiel believes he was killed by an injection of gasoline
. Tramiel was rescued from the labor camp in April 1945 by the 84th Infantry Division.
In November 1947, Tramiel emigrated to the United States
. He soon joined the army, where he learned how to repair office equipment, including typewriter
s.
driver, he bought a shop in the Bronx to repair office machinery, and named it Commodore Portable Typewriter. Tramiel secured a $25,000 loan for the business from a U.S. Army entitlement.
In 1955, Tramiel signed a deal with a Czechoslovakia company to assemble and sell their typewriters in North America. However, as Czechoslovakia was part of the Warsaw Pact
, they could not be imported directly into the U.S., so Tramiel set up Commodore Business Machines in Toronto
. Tramiel wanted a military-style name for his company, but names like Admiral and General were already taken, so he settled on the Commodore name.
In 1962, Commodore went public. The arrival of Japanese typewriters in the U.S. market made the market unprofitable, and struggling for cash, so the company sold 17% of its stock to Canadian businessman Irving Gould
, taking $400,000. They used this cash to re-launch the company in the adding machine
business, which was profitable for a time before the Japanese entered this field as well. Stung twice by the same source, Gould suggested that Tramiel travel to Japan to learn why they were able to outcompete them in their own local markets. It was during this trip that he saw the first digital calculators, and decided that the mechanical adding machine was a dead end.
Combining an LED display from Bowmar and an integrated circuit
from Texas Instruments
(TI), Commodore released its first calculators and found a ready market. However, after slowly realizing the size of the market, TI decided to cut Commodore out of the middle and released their own calculators at a price point below the price that TI sold just the chips to Commodore. Gould once again rescued the company, injecting another $3 million which allowed Commodore to purchase MOS Technology, Inc.
an IC
design and semiconductor manufacturer, which also supplied Commodore with calculator ICs. When their lead designer, Chuck Peddle
told Tramiel that calculators were a dead end and computers were the future, Tramiel told him to build one to prove the point.
, based on their MOS Technology 6502
processor. It was first shown publicly at the Chicago Consumer Electronics Show in 1977, and soon the company was receiving 50 calls a day from dealers wanting to stock the design. The PET would go on to be a success — especially in the education field, where its all-in-one design was a major advantage. Much of their success with the PET came from the business decision to sell directly to large customers, instead of forcing them to buy through a dealer network.
But, as prices dropped and the market matured, the monochrome (green text on black screen) PET was at a disadvantage in the market when compared to machines like the Apple II
and Atari 800, which offered color graphics, and could be hooked to a television
as an inexpensive display. Commodore responded with the VIC20, and then the Commodore 64
, which would go on to be the best-selling home computer of all time. It was during this time period that Tramiel coined the famous phrase, "We need to build computers for the masses, not the classes."
On 3 July 1984, Tramel Technology bought the Consumer Division of Atari Inc.
from Warner Communications
, which had fallen on hard times, due to the video game crash of 1983. TTL was then renamed Atari Corporation.
In the late 1980s, Tramiel decided to step away from day-to-day operations at Atari, naming his son, Sam, President and CEO. In 1995, Sam had a heart attack, and his father returned to oversee operations.
In 1996, Tramiel decided to sell Atari to disk-drive manufacturer Jugi Tandon Storage
in a reverse merger deal. The newly merged company was named JTS Corporation, and Jack Tramiel joined the JTS board.
Commodore International
Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
- manufacturer of the Commodore PET
Commodore PET
The Commodore PET was a home/personal computer produced from 1977 by Commodore International...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Commodore 128
Commodore 128
The Commodore 128 home/personal computer was the last 8-bit machine commercially released by Commodore Business Machines...
, Commodore Amiga, and other Commodore models of home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s.
Biography
Tramiel was born as Jacek Trzmiel in Łódź, PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
into a Jewish family.
After the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invasion of Poland in 1939 his family was transported by German occupiers to the Jewish ghetto in Łódź, where he worked in a garment factory. When the ghettos were liquidated his family was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. He was examined by Dr. Mengele
Josef Mengele
Josef Rudolf Mengele , also known as the Angel of Death was a German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He earned doctorates in anthropology from Munich University and in medicine from Frankfurt University...
and selected for a work party, after which he and his father were sent to the labor camp Ahlem near Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, while his mother remained at Auschwitz. Like many other inmates, his father was reported to have died of Typhus in the work camp; however, Tramiel believes he was killed by an injection of gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
. Tramiel was rescued from the labor camp in April 1945 by the 84th Infantry Division.
In November 1947, Tramiel emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He soon joined the army, where he learned how to repair office equipment, including typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
s.
Typewriters and calculators
In 1953, while working as a taxiTaxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver, he bought a shop in the Bronx to repair office machinery, and named it Commodore Portable Typewriter. Tramiel secured a $25,000 loan for the business from a U.S. Army entitlement.
In 1955, Tramiel signed a deal with a Czechoslovakia company to assemble and sell their typewriters in North America. However, as Czechoslovakia was part of the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
, they could not be imported directly into the U.S., so Tramiel set up Commodore Business Machines in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Tramiel wanted a military-style name for his company, but names like Admiral and General were already taken, so he settled on the Commodore name.
In 1962, Commodore went public. The arrival of Japanese typewriters in the U.S. market made the market unprofitable, and struggling for cash, so the company sold 17% of its stock to Canadian businessman Irving Gould
Irving Gould
Irving Gould was a Canadian businessperson credited with both saving and sinking Commodore. He gave the necessary funding to Jack Tramiel to keep Commodore running during several periods of financial problems...
, taking $400,000. They used this cash to re-launch the company in the adding machine
Adding machine
An adding machine was a class of mechanical calculator, usually specialized for bookkeeping calculations.In the United States, the earliest adding machines were usually built to read in dollars and cents. Adding machines were ubiquitous office equipment until they were phased out in favor of...
business, which was profitable for a time before the Japanese entered this field as well. Stung twice by the same source, Gould suggested that Tramiel travel to Japan to learn why they were able to outcompete them in their own local markets. It was during this trip that he saw the first digital calculators, and decided that the mechanical adding machine was a dead end.
Combining an LED display from Bowmar and an integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
from Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
(TI), Commodore released its first calculators and found a ready market. However, after slowly realizing the size of the market, TI decided to cut Commodore out of the middle and released their own calculators at a price point below the price that TI sold just the chips to Commodore. Gould once again rescued the company, injecting another $3 million which allowed Commodore to purchase MOS Technology, Inc.
MOS Technology
MOS Technology, Inc., also known as CSG , was a semiconductor design and fabrication company based in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is most famous for its 6502 microprocessor, and various designs for Commodore International's range of home computers.-History:MOS Technology, Inc...
an IC
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
design and semiconductor manufacturer, which also supplied Commodore with calculator ICs. When their lead designer, Chuck Peddle
Chuck Peddle
Charles Ingerham Peddle is an American electrical engineer best known as the main designer of the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor; the KIM-1 SBC; and its successor the Commodore PET personal computer, both based on the 6502....
told Tramiel that calculators were a dead end and computers were the future, Tramiel told him to build one to prove the point.
Home computers
Peddle responded with the Commodore PETCommodore PET
The Commodore PET was a home/personal computer produced from 1977 by Commodore International...
, based on their MOS Technology 6502
MOS Technology 6502
The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
processor. It was first shown publicly at the Chicago Consumer Electronics Show in 1977, and soon the company was receiving 50 calls a day from dealers wanting to stock the design. The PET would go on to be a success — especially in the education field, where its all-in-one design was a major advantage. Much of their success with the PET came from the business decision to sell directly to large customers, instead of forcing them to buy through a dealer network.
But, as prices dropped and the market matured, the monochrome (green text on black screen) PET was at a disadvantage in the market when compared to machines like the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
and Atari 800, which offered color graphics, and could be hooked to a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
as an inexpensive display. Commodore responded with the VIC20, and then the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, which would go on to be the best-selling home computer of all time. It was during this time period that Tramiel coined the famous phrase, "We need to build computers for the masses, not the classes."
Atari
On 13 January 1984, Tramiel resigned from Commodore. After a short break from the computer industry, he formed a new company named Tramel Technology, Ltd., in order to design and sell a next-generation home computer. The company was named "Tramel" to help ensure that it would be pronounced correctly (i.e., "tra - mel" instead of "tra - meal").On 3 July 1984, Tramel Technology bought the Consumer Division of Atari Inc.
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
from Warner Communications
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
, which had fallen on hard times, due to the video game crash of 1983. TTL was then renamed Atari Corporation.
In the late 1980s, Tramiel decided to step away from day-to-day operations at Atari, naming his son, Sam, President and CEO. In 1995, Sam had a heart attack, and his father returned to oversee operations.
In 1996, Tramiel decided to sell Atari to disk-drive manufacturer Jugi Tandon Storage
JT Storage
JT Storage was a maker of inexpensive IDE hard drives for personal computers based in San Jose, California...
in a reverse merger deal. The newly merged company was named JTS Corporation, and Jack Tramiel joined the JTS board.
Further reading
- On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore by Brian Bagnall, Variant Press, 2005, ISBN 0973864907
External links
- You Don't Know Jack at a Commodore History Site
- 1985 episode of The Computer Chronicles featuring an extended interview with Tramiel
- The Color Computers - 1979 to 1980 — Excerpt from the book On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore (2005), Variant Press. (ISBN 0-9738649-0-7) documenting Tramiel's involvement with Commodore.
- Biography about Jack Tramiel at History Corner in German