![]() ![]() The new device capitalized on the latest audio technology offered in compact discs, which had entered the mass market just two years prior. Whereas the first Walkman was blue and silver and featured tactile buttons, in its Discman, Sony opted for an all-black look, with flat buttons that preserved the overall sleekness. Realizing the name was a mouthful, the company switched to the name “Discman” in subsequent iterations, to the relief of everyone everywhere. Sony continued its dominance of the portable music player market with the release of the D-50 Compact Disc Company Player in 1984. The image of the Walkman became inseparable from the image of the 80s, making its way into all those films and music videos about rollerskating teens. ![]() Over the next decade, Sony would continue to refine its original design, paring down its product to be lighter, slimmer, and more portable.Ĭliff Richard’s 1981 “Wired For Sound” music video | Pinterest Some commentators prophesied an antisocial, dystopian world, one in which “urban hermits” were “losing contact with reality” and the Walkman itself precipitated “the end of meeting people.”īut freedom from a homebound music player clearly struck a chord, especially with younger listeners eager for independence. Revolutionary as the Walkman was, not everyone was impressed. Though initial sales were lukewarm, the Walkman would come to the U.S. In its first iteration, released by Sony in Japan as the TPS-L2, the Walkman was a pretty little blue-and-silver thing with adjustable volume sliders, buttons to fast-forward and rewind, and two headphone jacks, in case you wanted to share your favorite tunes with a special friend. The true original, back when “mixtape” referred to a cassette cartridge containing, you know, tape. ![]() Here, we’re taking a look back at four iconic music players that changed how we listen to music.Īh, the Walkman. With the introduction of portable music players in the 80s, music became personal - and to be a music player-carrying teen, neon leg warmers, roller blades, and all, was the fashion statement of the moment. It wasn’t that long ago when listening to music meant crowding around a radio or a stereo set heavier than a Honda sedan, or lugging around a boombox for everyone in the vicinity to hear. ![]()
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