Happy 30th Birthday to the Sony Walkman

[elapsed]

The original blue-and-silver Walkman model TPS-L2 went on sale in Japan on July 1, 1979.

The device was built in 1978 by audio division engineer Nobutoshi Kihara for Sony co-chairman Morita, who wanted to be able to listen to operas during his frequent transpacific plane trips.

The original Walkman was marketed in 1979 as the Walkman in Japan, the Soundabout in many other countries including the US, Freestyle in Sweden and the Stowaway in the UK.

Morita hated the name "Walkman" and asked it to be changed, but relented after being told by junior executives that a promotion campaign had already begun using the 'Walkman' name and would be too expensive to change.

The names "Walkman", "Pressman", "Watchman", "Scoopman", "Discman", and "Talkman" are trademarks of Sony, and have been applied to a wide range of portable entertainment devices manufactured by the company. Sony continues to use the "Walkman" brand name for most of their portable audio devices, after the "Discman" name for CD players was dropped in the late 1990s.

Source: Info culled from Wikipedia

cheers,
elapsed

[Hyfi]

I still have my working FM only Walkman I bought in 1979 or 80.