The Commodore PET, introduced in 1977 with the model 2001, was one of the first complete, ready-to-use personal computers. Where many earlier microcomputers arrived as kits or bare boards, the PET packaged a computer, a monitor, a keyboard, and a cassette tape drive together in a single case, so that a buyer could plug it in and begin using it immediately. It was designed at Commodore by a team led by Chuck Peddle, the engineer behind the MOS Technology 6502 processor that the machine used.
The PET 2001-8 Personal Computer User Manual, Commodore’s own documentation for the machine, describes a computer built on the 6502 with built-in BASIC, the monitor display, and the cassette recorder used for loading and saving programs. The manual walks new users through writing and running BASIC programs and through the machine’s screen editor, reflecting the PET’s intent as an integrated appliance rather than a parts collection for experienced hobbyists.
Because Commodore had acquired the chip maker MOS Technology, the PET could be built around the company’s own inexpensive 6502, an early example of the vertical integration that would later define the Commodore 64. The all-in-one design and the in-house processor let Commodore offer a usable computer at a competitive price, and the PET found a strong market in schools, where its rugged single-unit construction and built-in BASIC made it well suited to teaching programming.
The PET is remembered as one of the 1977 trinity, the three machines, with the Apple II and the Tandy TRS-80, that together turned the personal computer from a hobbyist curiosity into a mass consumer product in a single year. Each took a different approach: the Apple II emphasized color and expandability, the TRS-80 a low entry price through Radio Shack’s retail reach, and the PET an integrated, classroom-friendly package.
Later PET and CBM models extended the line with larger screens, better keyboards, and more memory, and the PET’s success established Commodore as a serious computer company. The design lessons and the in-house chip strategy carried directly forward to the VIC-20 and the Commodore 64, which would take Commodore’s integrated, low-cost approach to a far larger audience.