Technology Legends of Tech: Sony Walkman: The First Personal Entertainer

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https://www.techspot.com/article/2887-legends-sony-walkman/

The Sony Walkman was not only a revolutionary device, it was revolutionary on a cultural scale.

Until the 1970s, listening to music was considered to be a social activity. Handheld transistor radios had existed since the 1950s, but they didn't let the user choose specific songs to listen to. Even the first portable cassette players were suitcase-sized boomboxes with stereo speakers.

In the context of technology, a device is usually called "revolutionary" if it improves upon its predecessors to the point of making them obsolete, but the Walkman was something else. It was the first device designed for private music listening.

With the Walkman you could play any song, anywhere, anytime, before the same was possible for movies, e-books or video games. Like smartphones today, it was accused of fostering detachment and isolation, but it also created new ways for people to connect.

Sony Walkman: The First Personal Entertainer

The Sony Walkman was a cultural revolution, enabling people to play any song, anywhere, anytime --- long before similar freedom existed for movies, e-books, or video games.

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