Chapter 27 Startups: Origins of the PC Revolution
Today’s smartphones and tablet, laptop and desktop computers all trace their ancestry to the arrival of the hobby computer era of the 1970s.
After Intel introduced its 8008 microprocessor, in 1972, several individuals and teams began using the new chip to build DIY computers. But these computers made little progress due to the 8008’s limited capabilities.
The computer revolution was jump-started in 1975 when MITS, Inc., a small electronics company that I co-founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico, announced the Altair 8800, a kit computer designed around Intel’s new and powerful 8080 microprocessor.
Many books have been written about what happened next, and Idea Man (Portfolio/Penguin), a new memoir ...
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