The Amiga 500 - also known as the A500 (or its code name "Rock Lobster") - was the first “low-end” Commodore Amiga 16/32-bit multimedia home/personal computer. It was announced at the winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1987 - at the same time as the high-end Amiga 2000 - and competed directly against the Atari 520ST. Before Amiga 500 was shipped, Commodore suggested that the list price of the Amiga 500 was $595.95 USD without a monitor. At delivery in October 1987, Commodore announced that the Amiga 500 would carry a $699 USD/£499 GBP list price.
The Amiga 500 represented a return to Commodore's roots by being sold in the same mass retail outlets as the Commodore 64 - to which it was a spiritual successor - as opposed to the computer-store-only Amiga 1000.
The original Amiga 500 proved to be Commodore’s best-selling Amiga model, enjoying particular success in Europe. Although popular with hobbyists, arguably its most widespread use was as a gaming machine, where its advanced graphics and sound for the time were of significant benefit.
Read more about Amiga 500: Releases, Technical Description, Technical Specifications, Memory Map, Trapdoor Expansion 501, Notable Uses