The first microcomputer: the Q1

Quiz time, what was the first commercially available microcomputer? The Altair 8800? Something obscure like the SCELBI? The Mark-8 kit? According to [The Byte Attic], it was actually the Q1, based on the Intel 8008 processor. The first Q1 microcomputer shipped in December 1972, making it the first, so far as it can judge. Later revisions used the Z80 processor, which is the model pictured above that [The Byte Attic] has in their possession. It's a nice little machine, with a striking orange plasma screen.

The irony is that this machine is almost entirely forgotten. The original unit may have looked more like a typewriter, pictured here. If you have any first-hand knowledge, or especially any surviving software, documentation, or hardware, be sure to register to add to the knowledge pool on this amazing little machine.

This is a significant milestone, and the development of the Q1 may have been a direct cause of Intel's development of the more powerful 8080 microprocessor. It seems that Daniel Alroy's work on this machine literally started the microcomputer revolution, and it has been missing from our computing tradition for too many years. We're hopeful to see more of this story come together, and the Q1 story fully recovered.

And if you love retro hardware, we've got you covered, including, among other things, the side-history of the first microprocessor.