Micropolis Corporation
| File:Micropolis wordmark.svg | |
| Industry | Storage media |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1976 in Chatsworth, California, United States |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy liquidation |
Micropolis Corporation (branded as MICROPΩLIS) was established in 1976 in Chatsworth, California as a manufacturer of disk drives. The company initially specialized in producing high-capacity hard-sectored 5.25-inch floppy drives along with their controllers, before expanding its portfolio to include hard drives equipped with SCSI and ESDI interfaces.
History
Around 1980, Micropolis pioneered a significant advancement by doubling the then-standard track density of 48 tpi to develop the "MetaFloppy" line featuring quad density drives (models 1054, 1053, and 1043). This new 100 tpi density became a standard adopted by other manufacturers such as Tandon Corporation, whose compatible drives were incorporated into systems including Vector Graphic S-100 computers and various disk drives from Commodore Business Machines.
Subsequently, Micropolis transitioned to a 96 tpi track density standard to ensure improved backward compatibility with earlier disk formats. The company expanded into the hard disk sector by introducing an 8-inch drive, following the example set by industry leader Seagate Technology. It later developed smaller form factors including 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives. In 1986, production facilities were extended to Singapore.
Although Micropolis maintained a significant presence in the market throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, it encountered intensified competition and shrinking profit margins. In 1996, the firm divested its hard drive division to Singapore Technology (ST), a subsidiary under Temasek Holdings. By 1998, the Micropolis brand had been phased out.
Following this divestiture, the company restructured as StreamLogic Corporation but declared bankruptcy in 1997 amid allegations of securities fraud. StreamLogic’s RAIDION storage systems were continued by Peripheral Technology Group, while its video on demand assets were acquired by Sumitomo Corporation.
From this corporate transformation emerged Hammer Storage Solutions, which was formed through the acquisition of FWB’s Macintosh storage hardware segment. Hammer's assets were eventually sold to Bell Microproducts in the year 2000.
See also
- Group Coded Recording (GCR)
Further reading
- http://www.s100computers.com/Hardware%20Folder/Vector%20Graphic/VG%20Micropolis%20FDC/VG%20Micropolis%20FDC.htm Micropolis/Vector Graphic S-100 FDC
External links
- Archived official website (https://web.archive.org/web/19961111032546/http://www.micropolis.com) (November 11, 1996)
- Micropolis product list and hardware overview (http://yjfy.com/Hardware/harddisk/micropolis.htm) (in Chinese and English; archived)
- Retro technology resources on Micropolis drives (http://retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/d_micropolis.html)
- DigiSAFE (http://www.digisafe.com/)
- RAIDION Systems (http://www.raidionsystems.com/) (defunct)
- Hammer Storage, Bell Microproducts division (http://www.rorke.com/hammer/)
- Marcus Bennett's Micropolis documentation archive (archived)
- Pages with broken file links
- American companies established in 1976
- American companies disestablished in 1997
- Technology companies based in Greater Los Angeles
- Computer companies established in 1976
- Computer companies disestablished in 1997
- Computer storage companies
- Defunct computer companies of the United States
- Defunct computer hardware companies
- 6
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment