Based on the
Motorola 68k series of
microprocessors, the machine sports a
custom chipset with then advanced graphics and sound capabilities, and a
pre-emptive multitasking operating system (now known as
AmigaOS). While the M68k is a
32-bit processor, the version originally used in the Amiga, the 68000, has a
16-bit external
data bus so it must transfer 32 bits of data in two consecutive steps, a technique called
multiplexing — all this is transparent to the software, which was 32-bit from the beginning. The original machine was generally referred to in the
press as a 16-bit computer;
[4][5] Later models featured fully 32-bit designs. The Amiga provided a significant upgrade from 8-bit computers such as the
Commodore 64, and the Amiga quickly grew in popularity among computer enthusiasts, especially in
Europe, and sold approximately 6 million units.
[6]
Since the demise of Commodore, various groups have marketed successors to the original Amiga line.
Eyetech sold Amiga hardware under the
AmigaOne brand from 2002 to 2005. A-Cube currently sell the
Sam440 PPC board designed to run the latest AmigaOS 4.1 (as of 2009).