A microcomputer kit introduced in late 1974 from Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS). It sold for $400 and used an 8080 microprocessor. In 1975, it was packaged with the Microsoft MBASIC interpreter written by Paul Allen and Bill Gates. Although computer kits were advertised earlier by others, an estimated 10,000 Altairs were sold, making it the first commercially successful microcomputer.
Altair 8800 Computer
The first successful microcomputer and the first commercial computer that came with a Microsoft product. (Image courtesy of The Computer History Museum, www.computerhistory.org)
Altair 8800 Computer
The first successful microcomputer and the first commercial computer that came with a Microsoft product. (Image courtesy of The Computer History Museum, www.computerhistory.org)
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
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