#Timeless Tuesdays – The Walkman

#Timeless Tuesdays – The Walkman

by Rob

We’ve always been inspired by old school mechanical charm – the grandfather clocks and barometers of our childhood – those spinning cogs and whizzing parts! But something that we’ve noticed recently is that in the age of self-driving cars and digital assistants, there really does seem to be a renewed love for the old fashioned, analogue experience.

Next on our list for #Timeless Tuesday, a product of the past that we loved and still love the concept of; let us introduce to you the game changer that is the Sony Walkman.

Before music on our phones, before the iPod, way back before the Sony discman… portable music just didn’t exist (unless you count carrying a boom box on your shoulder). We know - it’s hard to imagine… what did people do on trains and flights and how did they manage to jog in silence!

Rewind to 1st July 1979 and the launch of the very first Sony Walkman. Created by Norio Ohga at the request of Sony’s co-founder Masaru Ibuka who travelled extensively for business and wanted a way of playing and listening to his music on the go…

Apparently sales were slow to begin with but once the early adopters caught on the Sony Walkman went on to become one of Sony’s most successful brands. Other electrical companies started to bring out their versions of the Walkman and portable, personal music was born.

The Sony Walkman has gone through many guises throughout its lifespan – who remembers the yellow sports Walkman that could resist shock and water? And we cannot forget how the Walkman morphed into the Disc Man as CDs came into fashion, followed by the Sony Mini Disc Walkman and Sony MP3 player.

Sadly, like everything (all good things must come to an end) and that day was in 2010 when Sony retired the Sony Walkman Cassette player.

However a quick look on eBay shows that they are still loved by enthusiasts and can fetch a pretty penny for some of the older versions and special editions.

To be honest we’re not surprised… what a fantastic trailblazer for the portable music player industry. Next time you commute to work, or go out for a jog with your earphones plugged into your phone or MP3 - just think where would we be without the iconic Sony Walkman.