Why is Altair 8800 important?
Table of Contents
- 1 Why is Altair 8800 important?
- 2 Was the Altair 8800 the first personal computer?
- 3 What was the Altair 8800 missing?
- 4 What did the Altair Basic do?
- 5 Who created the Altair 8800 computer?
- 6 What is the main features of Altair?
- 7 Who made the Altair 8800?
- 8 What could you do with an Altair?
- 9 What was the Altair 8800 microcomputer?
- 10 How much did the IMSAI Altair 8800 cost?
- 11 How much did the Altair BASIC cost?
Why is Altair 8800 important?
The Altair 8800, based on the Intel 8080 processor, was aimed at hobbyists but it became the first commercially successful personal computer because it hit the sweet spot of performance and price. It was sold at $439 per kit in a time where other commercial personal computers were in the thousands range.
Was the Altair 8800 the first personal computer?
The MITS Altair 8800 was the first commercially successful personal computer.
When was the first Altair 8800 invented?
December 19, 1974
Altair 8800/Introduced
What was the Altair 8800 missing?
The Altair on the cover of the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics was a dummy; there was nothing behind the front panel with its lights and switches. If you opened the January issue of Popular Electronics to read about the Altair, you would see a photograph of the lost prototype computer.
What did the Altair Basic do?
Altair BASIC is an interpreter for the BASIC language meant to run on the MITS Altair 8800. It also marked the beginning of the Microsoft BASIC product line. It was written in assembly language using an Intel 8080 emulator running on a PDP-10 machine.
Where was the Altair 8800 invented?
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
Altair 8800/Manufacturers
Who created the Altair 8800 computer?
What is the main features of Altair?
The Altair 8800 is a microcomputer designed in 1974 by MITS and based on the Intel 8080 CPU….Altair 8800.
| Altair 8800 Computer with 8-inch floppy disk system | |
|---|---|
| Developer | MITS |
| Release date | January 1975 |
| Introductory price | Kit: US $439 ($2100 in 2020) Assembled: US $621 ($3000 in 2020) |
| CPU | Intel 8080 @ 2 MHz |
Who invented the Altair 8800?
Ed Roberts
MITS co-founder Ed Roberts invented the Altair 8800 — which sold for $297, or $395 with a case — and coined the term “personal computer”.
Who made the Altair 8800?
What could you do with an Altair?
In fact, a fully loaded Altair 8800 was a usable and functional computer well into the mid-80’s. You could run thousands of CP/M software titles (CP/M was the de facto standard operating system before MS-DOS.) You could play hundreds of games, including Colossal Cave Adventure, Star Trek, and Zork (I, II, and III!)
Who invented Altair 8800?
What was the Altair 8800 microcomputer?
Altair 8800 Microcomputer. Description. Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 chip, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well as technical requirements for a small personal computer.
How much did the IMSAI Altair 8800 cost?
In the October 1975 Popular Electronics, a small advertisement announced the IMSAI 8080 computer. The ad noted that all boards were “plug compatible” with the Altair 8800. The computer cost $439 for a kit. The first 50 IMSAI computers shipped in December 1975.
Why was the Altair computer so popular?
The Altair had enough power to be actually useful, and was designed as an expandable system, that opened it up to all sorts of applications. Roberts optimistically told his banker that he could sell 800 computers and he knew they needed to sell 200 over the next year just to break even.
How much did the Altair BASIC cost?
Altair BASIC was very expensiveat $500, but only $75 when purchased with an Altair computer, an interface board, and 8K of memory. Soon after, Gates and Allen formed their own company – Micro-Soft, and sold Altair BASIC as their first product. Why was the computer named “Altair”?