Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems ( MITS ) was a computer company that was founded in December 1969 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of Ed Roberts and Forrest M. Mims III. Since 1971 the company MITS desktop computer set ( often referred to as kit) ago, but was overtaken from the year 1972 by the U.S. company Texas Instruments in this business economically. MITS also provided control units for model rockets and radio-controlled model aircraft. Only later, the company became known especially through the development and distribution of the first successful personal computer Altair 8800 and is often referred to as a company that has established the home computer market.
Development of the Altair 8800
In the early 1970s the company was bankrupt MITS gone due to the deteriorating sales of desktop computers almost. To counter this trend, MITS developed in the years 1973 and 1974 the Altair 8800, one of the first mass-produced computer hobby for individuals. The computer used the Intel 8080 microprocessor. The Altair 8800 was printed for the launch in January 1975 on the cover of American computer magazine Popular Electronics, which strongly supported the sales of the device.
MITS was overwhelmed by the large number of orders for the Altair 8800 and soon fell in delivery and quality problems a short time later. Shortly after the release of the Altair 8800 started many other companies to bring similar computer on the market - such as IMSAI, Processor Technology, Cromemco. Roberts tried the shops where the Altair was sold to compel to an exclusive sale of his device, but failed. MITS was sold in May 1977, 6.5 million U.S. dollars to the Pertec Computer Corporation, which in turn was taken over by the German company Triumph-Adler 1979.
1975 Bill Gates and Paul Allen worked for a short time on a BASIC interpreter for MITS Altair BASIC and wrote that fitted in the only 4KB RAM of the Altair 8800, until they in the same year founded their own company, Microsoft.