Design Classic No.122: The Sony Walkman

The first Sony Walkman (the TPS-L2) went on sale in July 1979. Originally developed for Akio Morita, one of Sony’s co-chairmen, so that he could listen to opera whilst travelling on business, the Walkman went on to set the trend amongst teens, marketed alongside images associated with sport and leisure.

The designs soon advanced to include radios, graphic equalisers and the distinctive yellow waterproof version. Soon however the cassette was superseded and the device evolved in to the CD walkman (Discman), the Mini Disc Walkman and the Video walkman. Eventually the Apple iPod has dominated the personal stereo market and Sony has this week announced the end of production of the classic cassette Walkman. Happy memories.

SoVibrant Design www.sovibrant.co.uk 

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