Sony Walkman at 40: fans nostalgic for first portable music player, and the soundtrack to their youth
- On July 1, 1979, the Walkman TPS-L2 mini portable cassette player – shaped like a brick, with silver buttons, two headset jacks and no screen – was released
- It changed forever how people consumed music, and was still in production as recently as 2010. Now it is winning new fans born in the mobile phone era
The must-have ’80s gadget and one-time icon of Japan electronics cool, Sony’s Walkman turned 40 this year and, like its now middle-aged fans, is clinging to its youth with hi-tech updates.
Priced at a hefty 33,000 yen – US$300 in today’s money – the first generation Walkman could not record, but its stereo music playback function quickly captured hearts in Japan and then the world.
It had two headset jacks to allow two people to listen simultaneously. A bright orange “hotline” button could be pressed to lower the volume while the couple chatted.
After a disappointing first month when only 3,000 units were sold, sales exploded to eventually hit 1.5 million worldwide for the first model. The second model, the WM-2, which came in red, black and silver, chalked up sales of 2.58 million.