The Walkman celebrates its 40th anniversary
2.9.2019
Translation: machine translated
40 years ago, Sony introduced the TPS-l2 during the summer. With the first Walkman, Sony not only achieved cult status, but also changed the way people listen to music.
The TPS-L2 was Sony's first portable music player. The portable cassette player was launched in 1979. In the 40 years since, Walkmans have become truly iconic. Sony revolutionised the way we listen to music.
To celebrate this anniversary, Sony organised a public exhibition entitled "Walkman in the Park" in Tokyo in July and August. The exhibition took place on the site of the former Sony building, which had just been demolished.
Sony didn't focus the exhibition on the products, but on the experiences of people using its Walkman at the time - in the 1980s. Visitors to the exhibition were able to listen to music on cassette tapes with cheap plastic headphones. Just like the good old days.
Walkman, the name registered by the Sony brand for its portable music players, has become the generic name for these devices in many languages. In Austria, Sony has even been stripped of its trademark rights for this reason.
Walkman, the name trademarked by Sony for its portable music players, has become the generic name for these devices in many languages.
Growing up in the 90s, I unfortunately only had a Discman. One of those in which the CD would jump out at the slightest jolt. A few years later, Sony dropped the Discman name for Walkman until production came to an end in 2009.
You can now store four gigabytes of music on a player weighing no more than 30 grams, which would have seemed completely insane before.
And what player have you had? Have you recorded your own compil' on audio cassettes? Do you wander around town with a ghettoblaster slung over your shoulder? On your mark, get set, comment! :)
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.
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