u/robwired

I previously posted about the direction I felt Commodore was taking by focusing on a mobile phone with less user utility rather than finding innovative ways to free the user.

In this post I want to point to Nokia, a Finnish company that lost it all and the incredible 5 year returns it has had.

The Commodore brand, like Nokia has nostalgic value and captures retro vibe far more than Nokia could.

There are many great ideas that are bubbling up that Commodore could use to make itself relevant again.

If mobile is going to be the play then it should be competing with a combination of modern hardware, nostalgia, brand and novel ideas that free the user.

Rather than focus on just the Callback, please tell me why Commodore can’t do what Nokia has?

Both are using Android, both are outsourcing their manufacturing, both are nostalgia brands, both are a small group of people who had good ideas and were able to get the rights to a retro brand.

One of them is led by a former Star Wars actor who has an influential social media following and a Steve Jobs esque reality distortion field.

I would say Commodore should have the advantage!

Recently the new Commodore released the Commodore Callback phone.

https://commodore.net/callback/

The pitch is of course nostalgia which was fine for the Commodore 64 remake. What is not ok is rebuilding the brand around continuously going back to the well.

Lots of brands come back from the dead with a plan to grow their business through innovation and new products.

Some might say that some version of Commodore tried to sell a modern phone or even business computers but no one wanted them.

No one wanted them because they were half baked.

Nokia and Blackberry are both trying to come back. is it easy? No. Do they have a better chance with a brand name that has nostalgic goodwill? Yes.

I would love to have a Commodore phone that competes with the Asian brands. Its not hard to outsource the hardware and then Commodore could focus on the software.

A side benefit would be to have a folder that contained BBS software, maybe Quantumlink, a C64 emulator with a dozen games and other fun nostalgia but not make the entire experience about nostalgia.

How incredibly cool would it be to pull out my usable Commodore phone at a meeting and use it like any other phone? How dumb is it to pull out a toy phone?

The difference is stark and bleak for the Callback phone.

or go another direction and make a phone that has game controls and the aforementioned c64 and also Amiga software. Let me play Giana sisters, Karateka, Zork, Kings Quest, Elite, Wings, Lemmings and Defender of the Crown in between business meetings.

The retro community is dying for a Commodore phone and the markup or a branded Commodore phone of $100 would be fine.

Then resell mobile service and you’ve got a real business. Mint had Ryan Reynolds, Commodore has our hearts.

Commodore Callback vs Nokia comeback

Commodore Callback Phone is the wrong way forward