The Altair 8800: Catalyst of the Microcomputer Revolution The Altair 8800, designed by MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) in 1974, is a microcomputer that was based on the Intel 8080 CPU. Following its introduction on the cover of the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics magazine, interest in the Altair 8800 surged, and it was sold via mail order through advertisements in Ra..