MITS, or the Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems, was a company founded in the early 1970s, known for its innovative contributions to the field of computing. It gained fame for developing the Altair 8800, one of the first commercially successful personal computers, which sparked interest in home computing and inspired many hobbyists and engineers. The Altair 8800 used the Intel 8080 microprocessor and was sold as a kit, allowing users to assemble their own machines. This product played a crucial role in the rise of the personal computer industry and influenced the creation of software companies, including Microsoft, which developed its first product, a version of the BASIC programming language, for the Altair.