36 years ago today, on July 1, 1979, Sony’s first Walkman was introduced to the world. The device would allow people to carry their music, which meant cassettes back then, along with them wherever they would go. It turned out to be a music-on-the-go device compared to the large tape-recorder players. Back then, portable music meant only AM/FM radios but the Walkman’s compact size was the first step towards altering the landscape.
According to a report by Cecildaily, the Walkman came about following a special request from Sony chairman Masaru Ibuka, who wanted to listen to music while traveling. A prototype allowed the chairman to to listen to music during a plane ride using earmuff-like headphones and a battery-powered player.
The report points out that the initial product had disappointing sales but, Sony representatives once took to the streets of Tokyo and asked people to try out the device and sales simply took off after that.
To celebrate the Walkman, Sony put together an infographic displaying the revolution of the company’s music player.
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