The Sony Walkman, designed around Japanese concepts of miniaturised technology and user comfort, was invented in 1979 when co-founder Masaru Ibuka requested a portable music player for long flights. The result was a personalisable cassette player that revolutionised the way people listened to music.

 

The TPS-L2 was Sony’s first portable cassette player prototype released in 1979. The now iconic blue and silver aluminium case was barely larger than its stored cassette tape. Sony later expanded the Walkman range to CD players, transistor radios, and mobile phones after the success of the TPS-L2 to meet evolving consumer demands.

 

Sony’s Walkman led the transition into the 1980’s, an epoch of musical mass consumption with rising popularity for electronic dance music, new wave, and hip hop. Furthermore, the developing aerobics trend meant the Walkman contributed to a 30% rise in people exercising from 1987-1997. It quickly became a ubiquitous item in 1980’s households.

 

By prioritising user comfort, the Walkman experienced great success. Requiring only two AA batteries and having a lightweight case made the Walkman portable, enabling users to take their music anywhere. Sony headphones were more comfortable than any competitors, and two jacks were included so users could enjoy music together. Further features included bass boost, auto-reverse, and water-resistance to maintain sales rates.

 

However, the Walkman’s customisability was its most desirable feature. Users were empowered to produce their own soundtracks. Possessing no external speaker, it dissolved boundaries by enabling private music to be enjoyed within a public sphere. Although this arguably increased intolerance to other music tastes, it offered something radios and vinyl did not. Ultimately, this ability to personalise music improved the relationship between humanity and technology so that the Walkman and headphones combined to form something of a biotech.

 

 

This unique benefit of privatised music was exploited during Sony’s advertising stage to maximise sales. Television adverts showed different aged users listening to different music performing different activities, but all within the public sphere. This visually demonstrated how private music could be enjoyed publicly. Another advertising technique was hiring attractive young adults to walk around modelling a Walkman and allowing people to try it on. By establishing the Walkman as the latest technological accessory, it became desirable for all user groups.

 

Sony’s global localisation marketing strategy also maximised sales. As more non-Japanese executives joined the company, Sony began establishing design offices worldwide. This created a corporate identity displaying an ability to adapt to various environments and market needs.

 

The Walkman rapidly outsold vinyl until CDs came about in the 1990’s. It remains the precursor of mobile phones, headphones, and personal computers. Ultimately, consumer demand from a technologically-oriented society has initiated a continuous miniaturisation of technology, meaning that the Walkman has been replaced by new technological products.

 

However, Walkman remains an iconic name for making music portable and private. It changed listening habits forever by empowering the user to gain control over their environment. To this date, 300 different Walkman models have been produced, demonstrating the revolutionary, lasting impact Sony has had on the music world.