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Come unità a dischi MITS selezionò il modello FD400 di ''Pertec'', un'unità capace di leggere i [[floppy disk]] in formato da 8 pollici, che contenevano fino a 300.000 byte di dati.<ref name = "Floppy Disk July 1975">{{cita pubblicazione | cognome = Durston | nome = Tom | titolo = Altair Floppy Disk | rivista = Computer Notes | volume = 1 | numero = 1 | pagine = 5 | editore = MITS | località = Albuquerque NM | data = luglio 1975 | url = http://www.startupgallery.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=75_7&p=5}}</ref> Il controller dischi dell'Altair era composto da 2 schede contenenti 60 integrati. Inizialmente atteso per agosto, non arrivò che alla fine del 1975 al prezzo di 1.480$ in kit da assemblare e 1.980 già montato.<ref name = "Price List April 1975"/>
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=== Marketing ===
[[File:Computer Notes July 1975 pg1.png |thumb|right| [[Bill Gates]] was a regular contributor to ''Computer Notes''. The MITS-Mobile van traveled all over the US including a stop near the [[Homebrew Computer Club]] ]]
The first full page advertisements for the Altair computer appeared in the February issues of ''Popular Electronics'' and ''Radio-Electronics'' magazines. Soon MITS was advertising in technical journals such as the IEEE [[Computer (magazine) | ''Computer'']],<ref name = "Computer May 75">{{cite journal | title = The Computer Company you can afford. | journal = Computer | volume = 8 | issue = 5 | pages = p. 16 | publisher = IEEE | date = May 1975 | doi = 10.1109/C-M.1975.218951}}</ref> and general interest magazines such as ''Scientific American''. MITS was also the most prominent advertiser in the new hobbyist computer magazines such as ''[[Creative Computing]]'' and [[Byte (magazine) | ''Byte'']].
===Promozione del computer===
[[David Bunnell]] joined MITS as a technical writer in the calculator heyday. In April 1975 he created a newsletter so the MITS staff could easily communicate with the customers. The newsletter, ''Computer Notes'', was available to customers and other interested readers.<ref name = "Byte Nov 1975 Clubs">{{Cite journal | title = Clubs and Newsletters: Altair User's Group | journal = Byte | volume = 1 | issue = 3 | pages = pp. 77-78 | publisher = Green Publishing | ___location = Peterborough, NH | date = November 1975}}</ref> It was a large format newsletter; 11.25 by 15.5 inches (286 by 394 mm), and each issue had 8 to 24 pages. In January 1977, it switched to a smaller magazine format and the last issue was produced in January 1978. Bunnell started ''Personal Computer'' magazine in October 1976 and went on to a successful career as a magazine publisher.<ref name ="CN June 1976"> {{cite journal | title = Personal Computing | journal = Computer Notes | volume = 2 | issue = 1 | page = p. 20 | publisher = MITS | ___location = Albuquerque NM |date = June 1976 | url = http://www.startupgallery.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=76_6&p=20}}</ref>
La prima pagina pubblicitaria dell'Altair apparve sui numeri di febbraio di ''Popular Electronics'' e ''Radio-Electronics'' e successivamente anche su ''Computer'' e ''Scientific American''. MITS era anche il più importante pubblicitario su riviste hobbistiche quali ''Creative Computing'' ''Byte''.
[[David Bunnell]] fu assunto da MITS come scrittore di articoli tecnici perché dal mese di aprile del 1975 la società aveva iniziato a rilasciare una pubblicazione nota come ''Computer Notes'', destinata principalmente ai suoi clienti, edita fino al gennaio del [[1978]]. ''Computer Notes'' vide una folta schiera di autori, fra cui anche [[Bill Gates]] e [[Paul Allen]], che scrivevano principalmente sull'[[Altair BASIC]]. Roberts pubblicava la colonna "Letter from the President" dove rispondeva alle domande dei clienti e recensiva i prodotti della concorrenza. Gli ingegneri di MITS, come Tom Durston e Steve Polini, descrivevano i nuovi prodotti.
''Computer Notes'' featured a wide variety of authors. Bill Gates and Paul Allen were regular contributors to the early issues. They wrote about Altair Basic and general software topics. Ed Roberts wrote a monthly "Letter from the President" column where he would answer customer questions and even review competing products. MITS engineers, such as Tom Durston and Steve Polini, would give technical descriptions of new products. Altair owners would contribute software and hardware suggestions and occasionally a complete article.
MITSSempre purchasednell'aprile adel camper1975 vanMITS inacquistò Aprilun 1975[[camper]], andvi outfittedinstallò it withun ansistema Altair systemcompleto completedi withunità floppya diskdischi, andi una Teletype [[ASR-33 Teletype]]e anddi everyogni accessoryarticolo MITSche producedproduceva. TheIl "MITS-MOBILE" wasgirava literallydi acittà showroomin oncittà wheelsmostrando thati wouldprodotti travelMITS frome cityfacendo toseminari cityin showcasingsale theconvegni MITSprese productin lineaffitto. TheyUno woulddei holdseminari seminarspiù atnoti hotelfu conferencequello roomsche thatsi would draw crowds of over 200 people.tenne The most notable seminar was atal ''Rickey's Hyatt House'' ina [[Palo Alto]], [[California]], ini earlyprimi Junedi giugno del 1975, wheredove aun membermembro of the [[dell'''Homebrew Computer Club]]'', leftun withclub andi un-releasedappassionati copydi ofcomputer, trafugò una copia dell'Altair BASIC.<ref name = "Homebrew June 1975">{{citecita journalpubblicazione | lastcognome = Moore | firstnome = Fred | titletitolo = It's a Hobby | journalrivista = Homebrew Computer Club Newsletter | volume = 1 | issuenumero = 4 | pagepagine = p. 1 | datedata = June7 7,giugno 1975 | url = http://www.digibarn.com/collections/newsletters/homebrew/V1_04/index.html}}</ref> AfterDopo retaill'apertura computerin storesdiverse werecittà establisheddei innegozi mostdi citiesvendita al dettaglio dei prodotti MITS, theil "MITS-MOBILE" wasfu retireddismesso.<ref name = "CN April 1976">{{citecita journalpubblicazione | titletitolo = MITS Mobile Caravan Seminars | journalrivista = Computer Notes | volume = 1 | issuenumero = 11 | pagepagine = p.5 | datedata = Maymaggio 1976 | url = http://www.startupgallery.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=76_4&p=5}}</ref>
La prima (e unica) conferenza mondiale sul computer Altair fu tenuta ad Albuquerque nel marzo del 1976. Organizzata da David Bunnell, fu un successo: vi parteciparono 700 persone provenienti da 46 Stati e 7 Paesi differenti.<ref name = "Byte Jun 1976">{{cita pubblicazione | titolo = The Albuquerque Happening | rivista = Byte | volume = 1 | numero = 10 | pagine = 36–37 | editore = Byte Publications | località = Peterborough, NH | data = giugno 1976}}</ref>
The first (and only) World Altair Computer Convention was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico in March 1976. The convention, organized by David Bunnell, was an overwhelming success; with 700 people from 46 states and seven countries attending.<ref name = "Byte Jun 1976">{{cite journal | title = The Albuquerque Happening | journal = Byte | volume = 1 | issue = 10 | pages = pp. 36–37 | publisher = Byte Publications | ___location = Peterborough, NH | date = June 1976}}</ref> Many of the attendees would go on to become leaders of the personal computer revolution.
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