Altair 8800

Prev
Next
  • Details
  • Description
Date Introduced
1975
Photographer
Richards, Mark
Dimensions
7 x 17 x 17.5 in.
Manufacturer
Micro Instrumentation Telemetry Systems (MITS)
Credit Line
Gift of Craig Payne
Copyright Owner
© Mark Richards
Location
United States
Keywords
Microsoft; Gates, Bill; Allen, Paul; Homebrew
Object ID
102621982
Speed
2 MHz
Memory Type
Semiconductor
Memory Size
1K
Memory Width
8-bit
Cost
$439 (kit), $621 (assembled)

Popular Electronics featured the MITS Altair 8800 microcomputer kit in January 1975. Under $500, Altair became the leading "homebrew" computer, inspiring Bill Gates and Paul Allen to write a BASIC interpreter program. Their company, then called "Micro-Soft," survived. MITS did not.