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The MOS Technologies 6502 processor took the microcomputer world by storm when it was released in 1975. Priced at a paltry $25 ($150.93 in 2025), it blew the pants off it's competitors; prices for microprocessors were very high in 1975. For example:
| Vendor | Part Name | 1975 Price | 2025 Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOS. | 6502. | $25.00 | $150.93 |
| Motorola | 6800 | $175.00 | $1,056.51 |
| Zilog | Z80 | $200.00 | $1,207.43 |
| Intel | 8080 | $360.00 | $2,173.38 |
| Intel | Celeron G6900* | $12.31 | $74.33 |
* Celeron banana-for-scale. The cheapest 2025 processor I could find, for reference
It was such a massive success that it forced other hardware vendors to reduce their prices to regain market share. And because it was so cheap (and yet, powerful and fast for it's time), it became the core of many well known computer systems. Maybe you've heard of…
- Apple ][ (What this site is all about!)
- Atari 2600
- Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System
- Commodore 64
- Atari Lynx
- BBC Micro
Between the MOS 6502 and the Zilog z80, modern home and office microcomputers became a thing that was happening! The home computer revolution would have been set back up to a decade without these disruptors… you can buy a whole gaming computer for $2000 (or less!) these days, instead of just the processor!
This article is a description of the MOS 6502 as used in the Apple ][.