This Day in
History: The First
Sony Walkman
Goes on Sale.
July 1, 1979.
The first version of the
Walkman was made at the
personal request of Sony
chairman Masaru Ibuka.
The music lover wanted a
portable stereo so he could
listen to music during flights.
Though the prototype
created for his
request wasn't ideal,
Ibuka was hooked.
When facing pushback from executives,
Ibuka quipped, ”Don’t you think a stereo
cassette player that you can listen to
while walking around is a good idea?”.
Targeted for Japanese
students at a price of
about $150, initial sales
were a meager 3,000 units.
After an ingenious
marketing campaign, sales
took off and the Walkman
became a global phenomenon