Radius Inc.
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | May 1986 |
| Founder | Burrell Smith, Mike Boich, Matt Carter, Alain Rossmann |
| Defunct | 2002 |
| Fate | Renamed to Digital Origin in 1999; acquired by Media 100 in 2002 |
| Headquarters | Sunnyvale, California , United States |
Area served | Macintosh computer market |
Key people | Andy Hertzfeld (early team member) |
| Products | Macintosh peripherals including processor upgrade cards (Radius Accelerator), graphics accelerators (QuickColor, QuickCAD), TV tuner cards (RadiusTV), video capture hardware (VideoVision), color calibration tools (PrecisionColor), multi-processor setups (Radius Rocket), video adapters and monitors |
| Parent | Media 100 (from 2002) |
Radius Inc. was a U.S.-based computer hardware firm established in May 1986 by Burrell Smith, Mike Boich, Matt Carter, and Alain Rossmann, with early Macintosh team members such as Andy Hertzfeld joining the venture. The company specialized in peripherals for Macintosh computers and went public in June 1990.
Among its notable offerings were processor upgrade cards known as Radius Accelerator, which incorporated Motorola 68020 CPUs into older Mac models; graphics acceleration devices like Radius QuickColor; TV tuner cards branded RadiusTV; video capture hardware called VideoVision; color calibration tools named PrecisionColor; multi-processor setups under the Radius Rocket line designed for 3D rendering and concurrent operating system sessions; as well as premium video adapters and display monitors.
History
Radius debuted with the Radius Full Page Display, one of the earliest large-format screens for personal computers, introducing the concept of multi-screen coordinate space that enabled window dragging across displays—a feature later adopted by Apple’s Macintosh II. Firmware development was led by Andy Hertzfeld, while hardware design was managed by Burrell Smith. During its inaugural year, Radius achieved monthly revenues reaching US$1 million.
The Radius Accelerator card offered a substantial performance enhancement to Macintosh computers by integrating a Motorola 68020 processor. The Pivot Display, crafted by former Apple Industrial Design lead Terry Oyama, featured a rotatable full-page screen with real-time user interface element remapping.
Radius’s graphics accelerators, QuickColor and QuickCAD, utilized ARM processors to improve rendering speeds—QuickColor boasted a 600% increase in drawing performance through optimized framebuffer access and multitasking under RISC OS, whereas QuickCAD expanded on QuickColor’s functionality with display list processing akin to IBM PC coprocessors.
By the end of 1992, Radius encountered difficulties including shareholder lawsuits alleging insider trading prior to announcing its first financial loss, unsuccessful research and development initiatives, and quality control problems with the Radius Rocket product line. The company struggled with an unclear market strategy.
In 1993, following workforce reductions, Radius redirected its focus toward professional graphics and video sectors. It acquired VideoFusion to enter the video production software market but failed to secure After Effects, which subsequently became a defining product in digital video editing.
In August 1994, Radius merged with competitor SuperMac through an $80.5 million stock exchange, relocating its headquarters to SuperMac’s facilities. This acquisition added the widely adopted Cinepak video codec to Radius’s product range. Additional acquisitions included Pipeline Digital, which specialized in professional time code and videotape deck control software.
The introduction of Macintosh PCI slots in 1995 enabled PC expansion card manufacturers such as ATI and Matrox to penetrate the Mac marketplace with more cost-effective solutions, applying pressure on Mac-exclusive companies like Radius.
In March 1995, Radius became the first authorized Macintosh clone manufacturer with products including the Radius System 100 and Radius 81/110 models. By 1996, it licensed the "SuperMac" brand to UMAX Technologies for use in Mac OS clone systems.
In 1997, Radius launched EditDV, a video editing application bundled with FireWire interface cards, which earned acclaim as "The Best Video Tool of 1998." That same year, Radius acquired Reply Corporation, a San Jose–based producer of aftermarket motherboards and x86 compatibility cards for Macintosh computers.
In August 1998, miro Displays acquired Radius’s monitor division along with its trademark rights, supported by major stakeholder Korea Data Systems (KDS), integrating these assets into their CRT and LCD monitor product lines.
On January 6, 1999, Radius rebranded itself as Digital Origin, concentrating on video editing hardware and software solutions including EditDV. In 2002, Media 100 purchased Digital Origin through an $83 million stock deal.
Notable Former Employees
External Links
- Companies founded in California in 1986
- Initial public offerings in 1990
- Mergers and acquisitions in 1994
- Companies dissolved in California in 2002
- American firms closed in 2002
- American firms founded in 1986
- Businesses located in Sunnyvale, California
- Computer firms closed in 2002
- Computer firms founded in 1986
- Former California-based computer companies
- Defunct U.S. computer companies
- Obsolete computer hardware manufacturers
- Manufacturers of Macintosh clone computers
- Technology firms established in 1986
- Technology firms established in 2002
- Companies previously traded on Nasdaq
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment
- American companies established in 1986