In the January 1975 edition of Popular Electronics magazine, the Altair 8800 was heralded as "the world's first minicomputer kit to rival commercial models". It is considered to have been the first mass-produced personal computer (PC), and could be built for under $400. Announced in the Popular Electronics editorial as a "home computer", the Altair 8800 was offered as a kit, and so had to be assembled before it could be used.
Without a screen or keyboard, the Altair 8800 could be programmed in machine language using toggle switches and LEDs on the front panel. The first programming language, Altair BASIC, was also the first product of Microsoft, written by Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Monte Davidoff.
Although the Altair 8800 had its fans among DIY hobbyists, the real breakthrough for PCs came in the 1980s, when IBM introduced the IBM PC. It is estimated that 1000 million PCs will be in use by the end of 2005.
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Compiled by Hannelore Hämmerle and Nicole Crémel