Tech Throwback: Sony Walkman

I like to take a look at where I’ve been to evaluate where Im going. Technology is cyclical after all… wait no its not. That said I still like all the feels that come rushing back like a flood of nostalgia every time I get my hand on the tech I grew up with. Im going to go back periodically and take a looking at the stuff that used to blow our hair back and get our minds rolling. Some of these device blew up and changed the world, some where ahead of their time and some just fell flat and became colossal failures. Today we are going to talk about the Sony Walkman

Walkman cassette player, released in 1979, changed music listening habits by allowing people to listen to their music whilst on the move. This could turn everyday tasks like commuting and running into pleasurable experiences. It gave commuters a sense of privacy, and add a soundtrack to urban surrounding. At the time a lightweight portable stereo system where that of future fantasy. Sony’s current portable option was the 5 lb TC-D5 and It was far to heavy and expensive to be revolutionary. We all just had to be content with listening to records in our basements. Then June 7th, 1980 happened, hello Walkman

little fun fact about the Walkman name, the Walkman name was thought to be too Japanese- English so it was called the soundabout in the US at first. It was nearly called the Disco-Jogger. Thank Thanos that didn’t happen, I can tell you the Disco- Jogger would not be getting its own Tech Throwback Spotlight…

Sony Walkman, Just Press Play

So I found the original Sony Walkman, TPS-L2 , you know the one Starlord likes to listen to yacht rock on. Ive popped in some fresh double AA’s and I’m ready to pop open may old cassette collection.  First thing I notice on this is as I insert my Batman forever sound track cassette and press the rewind button to U2’s Kiss me , Kill Me, Thrill Me,  is that it has 2 headphone jacks.

Living in a world today where all the tech companies are trying to steal my headphone jacks away, this makes me smile. The TPS-L2 does not have a record option, there is also a hotline button. Hotline button activates a builtin microphone. This did come in handy from time to time. However to record music on to a tape portabley was a whole nother problem. You had to hold the microphone up to the music, the sound quality was awful. You got all the surrounding background noise while trying to record a bootleg copy of the new New Kids on the Block cassette..

The Final Thought

Its simple, Its Timeless. This  belongs in every time capsule from 1979 till the day societies forget about time capsules. It opened music up to place and routines it didn’t quite fit before. Time would take several decades for this magnificent device to be faded out to an ipod. It saw many glorious changes, adaptations and complete evolutions. Who remembers the grandchild of the Walkman, the skipping prone Discman. It will forever be a classic. This helped make us all think the 80’s where a wonderful time to be alive.