Jupiter Cantab

Jupiter Cantab Limited

Company type	Private
Industry	Home computer manufacturing
Founded	1982
Founder	Richard Altwasser, Steven Vickers
Defunct	November 1983
Fate	Bankruptcy; assets acquired by Boldfield Computing Ltd in 1984
Headquarters	Cambridge , United Kingdom
Products	Jupiter Ace home computer

Jupiter Cantab Limited was a home computer manufacturer located in Cambridge, established in 1982 by former Sinclair Research employees Richard Altwasser and Steven Vickers. Their flagship product was the 1983 Forth-programmed Jupiter Ace.

The Jupiter Ace bore a strong external resemblance to the ZX Spectrum, incorporating a comparable rubber keyboard and utilizing the identical Zilog Z80 CPU. Its display output was monochrome, similar to that of the ZX-81. Retailing at £90, the Ace faced difficulties in gaining traction within both the UK and US markets. In the American market, it was sold under the name Ace 4000, with production limited to approximately 800 units.

Although Forth offered considerable programming power, it did not achieve the widespread adoption or ease of use associated with BASIC, which was prevalent among rival microcomputers. Additionally, the Ace’s price point—£89.95 versus the ZX81’s £39.95—likely hindered its commercial success.

Jupiter Cantab declared bankruptcy in November 1983; its remaining assets were acquired by Boldfield Computing Ltd in 1984. Boldfield proceeded to distribute leftover hardware through 1985 and commissioned various software titles including games, as well as database and spreadsheet programs. Documentation for this software remains with the current rights holders.

In 2006, Boldfield divested its IT solutions division but retained ownership of the Jupiter Ace intellectual property, which was eventually purchased by Andrews UK Limited in 2015.

External links

• Boldfield Computing Ltd
• Official Website of Jupiter Ace