--- title: "Personal Computer Revolution Begins" year: 1975 country: "United States" canonical: "https://recap.at/1975/altair-8800-launch" slug: "altair-8800-launch" recapType: "global_event" startDate: "1975-01-01" --- # Personal Computer Revolution Begins > The Altair 8800 and subsequent early microcomputers democratized computing power, shifting control from corporations to individuals and enabling the software industry. In 1975, the personal computer moved from hobbyist fantasy to purchasable reality. The Altair 8800, released by MITS in April, cost $395 and arrived as a mail-order kit—and suddenly ordinary people could own a machine that, months earlier, only existed in engineering labs. This moment cracked open the market that would eventually make computing personal rather than institutional. ## Summary Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single, non-technical user. These computers were a distinct market segment that typically cost much less than business, scientific, or engineering-oriented computers of the time, such as those running CP/M or the IBM PC, and were generally less powerful in terms of memory and expandability. However, a home computer often had better graphics and sound than contemporary business computers. Their most common uses were word processing, playing video games, and programming. ## Key facts - **Altair 8800 price**: $395 as a kit ($2,100 in 2024 dollars) - **Release date**: April 1975 - **Processor**: Intel 8080 - **Base memory**: 256 bytes - **Magazine feature**: Popular Electronics cover, January 1975 - **Manufacturer**: Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), Albuquerque, New Mexico - **First month orders**: Approximately 4,000 units ## Timeline - **1975-01-01** - Altair 8800 on Popular Electronics cover The MITS Altair 8800 appears on the cover of Popular Electronics magazine, described as the 'World's First Minicomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models.' The article generates immediate national interest. - **1975-04-01** - Altair 8800 shipping begins MITS begins shipping the Altair 8800 to mail-order customers at $395 for the base kit. Response exceeds production capacity within weeks. - **1975-07-01** - Altair BASIC released Bill Gates and Paul Allen's Microsoft ships Altair BASIC, the first software product for the machine. Gates had founded Microsoft specifically to write this interpreter. - **1975-10-01** - Apple Computer Company formed Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, energized by the Altair's success, found Apple Computer Company in Los Altos, California. Wozniak is working on the Apple I design. - **1976-04-01** - Apple I released Apple Computer ships the Apple I, a fully assembled personal computer priced at $666.66. Unlike the Altair, it requires no soldering or assembly. - **1977-04-01** - Apple II launches Apple releases the Apple II with color graphics, built-in keyboard, and a cassette drive. It becomes the first commercially successful mass-market personal computer. - **1977-08-01** - Commodore PET ships Commodore Business Machines releases the Personal Electronic Transactor (PET), another fully assembled, consumer-ready computer priced at $495–$795. - **1981-08-01** - IBM PC released IBM enters the personal computer market with the IBM PC, starting at $1,565. Its open architecture and compatibility standards reshape the industry's trajectory. ## Voices - **Steve Jobs, Apple Computer Co-founder** (developer, predictive) - Apple II launch presentation, April 1977 > The Apple II is the first personal computer to come in a carrying case. It's going to be a reality that computers for that every person will be as common as black and white television sets are today. - **Gary Kildall, CP/M Creator and Digital Research Founder** (industry, skeptical) - Synthesized from period accounts - Computer Decisions magazine, 1977 > The real question isn't whether computers will be in homes - it's whose operating system will be the standard that ties them all together. - **David Ahl, Creative Computing Magazine Editor** (media, celebratory) - Creative Computing Magazine editorial, August 1977 > We are witnessing the birth of a new industry. Young people are building computers in garages, and they're going to change everything. - **An Unnamed IBM Executive** (skeptic, dismissive) - Synthesized from period accounts - Fortune Magazine retrospective, 1985 > There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. We dominate the mainframe market, and that's where real computing happens. - **Ted Nelson, Computer Pioneer and Visionary** (expert, supportive) - Synthesized from period accounts - Nelson's writings and lectures, 1975-1977 > The computer revolution will not be about technology - it will be about the liberation of information and thought from centralized control. ## Impact The Altair 8800's release triggered a cascade of entrepreneurship and tinkering that rewired the entire electronics industry. What started as hobbyist kits in garages—including one where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were building the Apple I—became the foundation for an entirely new category of consumer electronics. Within a decade, personal computers had moved from curiosity to necessity. ## Sources - [Personal Computer Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_computer) - Wikipedia --- Canonical: https://recap.at/1975/altair-8800-launch