A use for the CPU

Intel MCS Intellec 4 From the Museum Collection

Almost as soon as Intel introduced the 4004, it also introduced the first microcomputer - that is, a computer built around a central processing unit (CPU), another name for the microprocessor.

The Intel MCS Intellec 4 was programmed either by entering software manually via the buttons on the front (one bit at a time), or by using an external PROM burner to hard-code the program to a chip, which could then be plugged into a slot on the front.