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Lot 625W
Altair 8800. 8-bit microcomputer by MITS, c.1974, metal case with removable top, face panel with 36 LEDs, 25 switches, cooling fan, additional power supply and interface cables at back,
5 December 2018, 14:00 EST
New YorkSold for US$2,125 inc. premium
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Altair 8800.
8-bit microcomputer by MITS, c.1974, metal case with removable top, face panel with 36 LEDs, 25 switches, cooling fan, additional power supply and interface cables at back, containing 13 modules: 1. MITS CPU, REV 0; 2-5. Godbout 114a Econoram II; another; another; another 6. Godbout 114c Econoram II2; 7. Godbout 4K Byte Ram Module; 8. Godbout 8K Byte Rom Module; 9. MITS 1K Stat Mem Board Rev 0; 10. Imsai SIO Rev-3; 11. Processor Technology Corp Cuts Rev. B; 12. Processor Technology unlabeled board; Jade Double Disk Controller; 13. Vector 8800V; with modification. Lot also includes: 8-inch floppy disk drive in unbranded matching metal case; assorted manuals per condition report.
Provenance: Original MITS invoice for this unit dated 2/3/1975 to Henry E. Ahler of Huntsville, Alabama.
THE MODEL THAT INSPIRED GATES AND ALLEN.
MITS ALTAIR 8800 holds the distinction of being the first microcomputer to catch on with the hobbyist market. It was originally offered in kit form for $439 or assembled for $621. Bill Gates, then in his Sophomore year at Harvard, and Paul Allen came across the December 1974 issue of Popular Electronics which featured the Altair on the cover and decided to join the computer revolution by writing a BASIC interpreter that would run on Altair's Intel 8080 microprocessor. "It would become the first commercial native high-level programming language for a microprocessor. And it would launch the personal computer software industry" (Isaacson p 332).
This example contains the Processor Technology Subsystem B group of 5 modules. Processor Technology Corporation, a company founded originally to create products for S-100 business systems like the Altair and noted for their high quality, went on to produce their own microcomputer with the successful Sol 20. Isaacson. The Innovators. NY: [2014].
Provenance: Original MITS invoice for this unit dated 2/3/1975 to Henry E. Ahler of Huntsville, Alabama.
THE MODEL THAT INSPIRED GATES AND ALLEN.
MITS ALTAIR 8800 holds the distinction of being the first microcomputer to catch on with the hobbyist market. It was originally offered in kit form for $439 or assembled for $621. Bill Gates, then in his Sophomore year at Harvard, and Paul Allen came across the December 1974 issue of Popular Electronics which featured the Altair on the cover and decided to join the computer revolution by writing a BASIC interpreter that would run on Altair's Intel 8080 microprocessor. "It would become the first commercial native high-level programming language for a microprocessor. And it would launch the personal computer software industry" (Isaacson p 332).
This example contains the Processor Technology Subsystem B group of 5 modules. Processor Technology Corporation, a company founded originally to create products for S-100 business systems like the Altair and noted for their high quality, went on to produce their own microcomputer with the successful Sol 20. Isaacson. The Innovators. NY: [2014].



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