04 July 2019

40th Anniversary - The Walkman

Walkman

The world first Walkman was introduced on 1st of July 1979. This was the SONY TPS-L2 and was created by the co-founders of SONY, Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka, with Kozo Ohsone. This was not the first SONY handheld cassette machine but it was the first playback only, dedicated compact cassette music player. (previous models were recorders made for reporters) Even though introduced in 1979 it was only by 1980 that the name Walkman (in Janglish) was first used. Initially the SONY TPS-L2 was sold as "Soundabout" in the US, "Stowaway" in the United Kingdom, and "Freestyle" in Australia. The term "Walkman" eventually made its way into the Oxford English Dictionary in 1986. During it's history a series of "specialized" models were introduced like Sports or high-tech models, slightly thicker then the cassette itself.


Walkman

Walkman

Walkman

Walkman

Walkman

Walkman

Walkman

Walkman

Walkman
The First Walkman Advert