The Mark-8 was introduced as a 'build it yourself' project in R-Es July1974 cover article, offering a US$5 booklet containing circuit board layouts and DIY construction project descriptions, with Titus himself arranging for $50 circuit board sets to be made by a New Jersey company for delivery to hobbyists. Prospective Mark-8 builders had to gather the various electronics parts themselves from a number of different sources.
A couple of thousand booklets and some hundred circuit board sets were eventually sold.
The Mark-8 was introduced in R-E as "Your Personal Minicomputer". This may be readily understood considering that the 'microcomputer revolution' had yet to happen; the word 'microcomputer' was still far from being common fare. Thus, in their announcement of their computer kit, the editors quite naturally placed the Mark-8 in the same category as the era's other 'minisize' computers.
Influences
Although not very commercially successful, the Mark-8 prompted the editors of Popular Electronics magazine to consider publishing a similar but more easily accessible microcomputer project, and just six months later, in January1975, they went through with their plans announcing the Altair 8800.
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