<P> Henry Edward `` Ed '' Roberts ( September 13 , 1941 -- April 1 , 2010 ) was an American engineer , entrepreneur and medical doctor who invented the first commercially successful personal computer in 1975 . He is most often known as `` the father of the personal computer '' . He founded Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems ( MITS ) in 1970 to sell electronics kits to model rocketry hobbyists , but the first successful product was an electronic calculator kit that was featured on the cover of the November 1971 issue of Popular Electronics . The calculators were very successful and sales topped one million dollars in 1973 . A brutal calculator price war left the company deeply in debt by 1974 . Roberts then developed the Altair 8800 personal computer that used the new Intel 8080 microprocessor . This was featured on the cover of the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics , and hobbyists flooded MITS with orders for this $397 computer kit . </P>
<P> Henry Edward `` Ed '' Roberts ( September 13 , 1941 -- April 1 , 2010 ) was an American engineer , entrepreneur and medical doctor who invented the first commercially successful personal computer in 1975 . He is most often known as `` the father of the personal computer '' . He founded Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems ( MITS ) in 1970 to sell electronics kits to model rocketry hobbyists , but the first successful product was an electronic calculator kit that was featured on the cover of the November 1971 issue of Popular Electronics . The calculators were very successful and sales topped one million dollars in 1973 . A brutal calculator price war left the company deeply in debt by 1974 . Roberts then developed the Altair 8800 personal computer that used the new Intel 8080 microprocessor . This was featured on the cover of the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics , and hobbyists flooded MITS with orders for this $397 computer kit . </P>
the altair is considered the first successful personal computer . who developed it
the altair is considered the first successful personal computer . who developed it
1974
1974