Now. The Perfect Microcomputer: Vector 1 - it's a two-touch affair

Founded in November 1976 by Lore Harp and Carole Ely as one of the very first female-led microcomputer companies[source: https://www.bcs.org/events-calendar/2025/may/lore-harp-vector-graphic/], it didn't take long for Vector Graphic, which was already a million-dollar company thanks to its sales of well-regarded S-100 memory boards[source: https://every.to/the-crazy-ones/the-woman-that-tech-history-forgot], to go from making [=byte_1977-07_017|8K memory cards] to complete systems, as shown by this advert from July 1977.

The Vector 1 was the company's first real computer, and was designed by Lore's husband Bob Harp. It was based on [!8080|Intel's 8080A] on an S-100 bus with 18 card slots. 

Deliberately pitched between "home computers" like the [#Apple II] and expensive mainframes, it retailed for $849, or about [[570|1977]] in [[now]].

The advert's quote - "it's a two touch affair" - is a reference to the simplicity of the Vector 1's interface compared to many other computers of the day, such as the [=adve_016|IMSAI 8080], which were packed with lights and switches.

[picture: LoreHarpCaroleEly.webp|Lore Harp and Carole Ely holding their Vector 1 microcomputer. Source: Vector Graphic]

According to a quote on old-computers.com[source: www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=5669 dead link)] from Lore Harp, this was a deliberate move to simplify the user interface, where "User friendliness became an important design element", although it has also been suggested that this was done as a cost-saving measure[source: http://historyofpersonalcomputing.com/wordpress/vector-graphic-inc-vector-1/].

This wasn't totally unique though, as other machines like [#SWTPC 6800|SWTPC's 6800], from January of the same year, had also simplified to just a few buttons.

However, in order not to alienate users who still liked the switches-and-lights interface, the Vector 1 came with ten DB-25 sockets on the back so that users could plug in their own.

Vector went public with an IPO in 1981, making Lore Harp only the second female founder to head a Nasdaq company, an achievement all the more impressive given the hostile and patriarchal nature of the industry and the competition at the time. 

By 1982, the company was making over $36 million in sales with $2.4 million profits, and had 425 employees[source: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-08-20-fi-2173-story.html].

However, despite being visited by IBM at one point with a view to selling Big Blue their Vector micros as part of an OEM deal, but realising IBM's real intentions to build its own micro and that the company had maybe a year left before its market disappeared, it was late in moving with the rest of the industry to 16-bit processors.

It also stuck with its legacy CP/M operating system, which became a significant drawback once IBM's 5150 PC had been released and the market was dragged to Microsoft's MS-DOS.

By 1982, Lore Harp had resigned as CEO, but was asked to return in 1983 as the company - which thanks to its reputation for quality was still going - was nevertheless losing more and more market share. 

In 1984 she left for the last time, whilst the company limped on for a year before filing for Chapter 11 in 1985 and ultimately going bankrupt in 1987[source: https://every.to/the-crazy-ones/the-woman-that-tech-history-forgot].


