The Walkman Story

Apple iPod lovers, have you wondered what was before iPod? There was the Walkman -- the portable cassette player developed by Japanese company Sony.

Masaru Ibuka, the founder of Sony, used his tape player on airplane trips. But the player was too heavy and big. He told the tape recorder team of Sony to create a smaller one for his personal use.

The team removed the record function and added stereophonic sound. Ibuka was much impressed.

That was the start. On June 22, 1979, the first Walkman was launched in Tokyo. One year after, it was also introduced in the U.S.

The Walkman was a big hit. It soon became so popular. Millions of people used the Walkman to enjoy music as they were walking or exercising outside. Other companies followed Sony and developed similar cassette players. The term ¡°Walkman¡± even entered the Oxford English Dictionary by 1986.

With more than 200 million units sold since its debut 30 years ago, the Walkman truly changed the way people enjoy music.