Practical Peripherals

Practical Peripherals, Inc.

Company type	Private (1981–1989) Subsidiary (1989–1994) Division (1994–1999)
Industry	Computer
Founded	1981 (1981) in Westlake Village, California, United States
Founder	Michael Seedman
Defunct	Template:End date and age
Fate	Acquired by Hayes Microcomputer Products in 1989; merged with Hayes in 1994; operations discontinued in 1997; brand discontinued in 1999
Products	Modems
Number of employees	700 (1992, peak)

Practical Peripherals, Inc. was an American private company specializing in computer peripherals, operating from 1981 until 1999 and based in Los Angeles County. Founded by Michael Seedman, the firm focused on telecommunications hardware, chiefly modems designed for personal computers. Seedman remained at the helm until the company's acquisition by Hayes Microcomputer Products in 1993.

The company's initial offerings included print buffer devices marketed under the Microbuffer label. Around 1985, Practical Peripherals broadened its portfolio to include modems with the introduction of the Practical Modem (PM) series. Following its purchase by Hayes in 1989, it functioned as a subsidiary until 1999, when Hayes itself was acquired by Zoom Telephonics.

Early years and growth (1981–1989)

Founded in 1981 by Michael S. Seedman in Westlake Village, California, Practical Peripherals started as a producer of computer peripheral equipment.<ref> The company’s first products launched in 1982 were print buffer expansion cards under the Microbuffer brand,<ref> compatible with Apple II and Epson MX-80 printers. These units offered dynamic memory sizes ranging from 16 KB up to 512 KB.<ref>

By the mid-1980s, Practical Peripherals expanded into telecommunications devices for personal computers,<ref> introducing modems under the Practical Modem name,<ref> as well as data buffering solutions for fax machines.<ref> The modem product line quickly became the company's primary revenue source, beginning with the Practical Modem 1200 (PM1200), a 1200 bps modem available for both internal and external configurations.<ref> Over time, the lineup advanced to include models such as the PM56K, a high-speed 56,000 bps modem released in 1997.<ref>

Management featured family participation: Michael’s brother Eric held the role of vice president of sales, while their father Joseph was chief operating officer during Michael Seedman’s tenure as CEO.<ref><ref>

After acquisition by Hayes (1989–1999)

In 1989, Practical Peripherals was acquired by Hayes Microcomputer Products, settling prior patent conflicts and enabling Practical to continue as a distinct subsidiary. Between 1990 and 1992, modem sales approached $50 million. In 1992, Hayes expanded Practical's headquarters to a larger facility encompassing 70,000 square feet located in Thousand Oaks, California. This move centralized all company operations and increased staff numbers to approximately 700 employees, with sales surpassing $50 million.

Michael Seedman departed in 1993 to take a senior executive position at U.S. Robotics as senior vice president and general manager. Subsequent price reductions and organizational restructuring led to a workforce decrease to roughly 575 employees by late 1994. Between October and November of that year, Hayes officially integrated Practical into its corporate framework, assuming its liabilities but preserving a separate management team.

Despite earlier assurances of stability, Hayes filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 1994 due to financial difficulties. This resulted in layoffs affecting around 200 Practical employees by the end of that year and an additional 100 in early 1995. By September 1996, Hayes announced plans to terminate employment for the remaining 375 Practical personnel over seven months, effectively ending Practical's independent operations. The Practical brand continued under Hayes ownership until Hayes itself was acquired by Zoom Telephonics in April 1999.