Editing Jupiter Cantab

{{Short description|English home computer company}}
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{{Infobox company
| name = Jupiter Cantab
| logo = 
| logo_caption = 
| logo_upright = <!-- default = 1 -->
| logo_alt = 
| type = 
| industry = 
| predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = -->
| founded = 1982
| founder = [[Sinclair Research]]<br>[[Richard Altwasser]]<br>[[Steve Vickers (academia)|Steven Vickers]]
| defunct = 1983
| fate = 
| successor = <!-- or: | successors = -->
| hq_location_city = [[Cambridge]]
| hq_location_country = United Kingdom
| area_served = <!-- or: | areas_served = -->
| key_people = 
| products = Home computer hardware
| owner = <!-- or: | owners = -->
| num_employees = 
| num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) -->
| parent = 
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}
'''Jupiter Cantab Limited''' was a [[Cambridge]] based [[home computer]] company. Its main product was the 1983 [[Forth (programming language)|Forth]]-based [[Jupiter Ace]].

The company was founded in 1982 by two ex-[[Sinclair Research]] staffers, [[Richard Altwasser]] and [[Steve Vickers (academia)|Steven Vickers]]. Their machine was, externally, remarkably similar to the [[ZX Spectrum]], with a copycat rubber keyboard. It also used the same [[Zilog Z80|Z80]] processor. The Ace's video output was limited to monochrome like the [[ZX-81]].

The £90 Ace was a flop in both the UK and US markets. In the US it was intended to be sold as the ''Ace 4000'', although only 800 were ever made.<ref>[https://jupiter-ace.co.uk/ace4000.html Jupiter ACE 4000]</ref>
The Forth language, although considered powerful, was not as popular or accessible as the already well-established BASIC language featured in competing microcomputers. Although the Ace's price at £89.95 when the successor to Sinclair's ZX80, the ZX81, was £39.95<ref>[https://jupiter-ace.co.uk/reviews_BuyersGuide-HCW.html Buyers Guide Home Computing Weekly 8th November 1983]</ref> was more likely the primary reason for slow sales.

The company went bankrupt in November 1983 and its assets were sold to Boldfield Computing Ltd in 1984. The remaining hardware was sold-off into 1985. Boldfield Computing Ltd also commissioned some software for it, including various games, database, and spread sheet software. Documentation to this exists and is held by the current owners of the brand.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

The sale of Boldfield’s IT solution business in 2006, excluded the rights to the Jupiter Ace IP and brand, but this was later sold to Andrews UK Limited in 2015.{{cn|date=November 2018}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* [http://www.boldfield.com/ Boldfield Computing Ltd]
* [https://jupiter-ace.com/jupiterace/ Official Website of Jupiter Ace]

[[Category:Defunct computer companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Defunct computer hardware companies]]
[[Category:Computer companies established in 1982]]
[[Category:Home computer hardware companies]]
[[Category:Computer companies disestablished in 1983]]
[[Category:Companies based in Cambridge]]
[[Category:1982 establishments in England]]

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