Residence Fort Lauderdale, FL Died December 8, 2012 Name Barry Altman | Occupation Entrepreneur, CEO Nationality American | |
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Known for Founded Commodore USA in 2010 and successfully brought the Commodore 64x to market in partnership with Disney. | ||
Commodore 64x unboxing signed by the late barry altman
Barry S. Altman was the founder and CEO of Commodore USA from 2010 until his death in late 2012. Barry founded Commodore USA after hunting for and successfully acquiring the exclusive trademark rights to the Commodore name. Prior to founding Commodore USA, Barry worked for over 20 years in the satellite and communications industry. During his time at Commodore USA, the Commodore 64x was announced and sold. On December 8, 2012, Barry died from a prolonged battle with cancer.
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Early life
Barry Altman co-owned a telecommunications business called Cabletech in the 1970s and 1980s. Barry was first introduced to computers through Cabletek in the 1980s, using Commodore 64s due to their generally low price and simplicity. In 1991, Barry sold Cabletek, retired, and moved to Florida. In June 2004, Barry founded Homecraft, an importer and distributor of home furniture.
Commodore USA
On March 26th, 2010, Barry Altman founded Commodore USA. Commodore USA's first consumer product was a re-branded Cybernet Systems all-in-one keyboard PC. In 2011, Commodore USA began prototyping and injection molding an exact replica of the original Commodore 64, which was shortly thereafter noticed by the vice president of Disney, who wanted to set up a joint marketing venture between the Commodore 64x and TRON: Legacy. According to Barry in an interview, Commodore USA received an unexpected amount of publicity and orders for the Commodore 64x after the release of such advertisements, resulting in their credit card terminal even overheating on several occasions.