7. The transistor gave cleaner sound than vacuum tube models, and transistors rarely wore out or overheated.
8. They also made radios much less fragile and also allowed them to be a lot smaller.
9. CASSETTE RECORDERS available at that time were not designed for the general public.
10.
11. They also used (typically) microcassettes, which had no support from record companies (and were expensive to boot).With the limited choices presented to consumers, the most popular cassette tape players were either home stereos or car players.
12.
13. It had excellent quality sound and was easy to operate.
14. Unfortunately for most potential customers, the price was around $1,000 (¥300,000), and it was hardly portable.One regular user was Ibuka, then Sony's honorary chairman. He used the player on airplane trips, but he found the player too heavy for everyday use. He instructed the tape recorder division to create a smaller version for his personal use.
15.
16.
17. After much time and effort, and the rejection of many alternatives, the name "Walkman" was finally chosen.
18. Factors influencing the decision included the popularity of Superman at the time and the fact that the new product was based on the Pressman.
19.
20. The appearance of the device is very simple with the silver and blue theme.
21. The product became popular because it allowed two individuals to listen to music at the same time.
22. Aside from this, another special feature of the product was designing a talk button to enable people to carry on a conversation while wearing the headphones.
23.
24. Some claimed that nobody would be interested in a tape player without a record function.
25. Others pointed out that the most popular tape recorder of the time had sold less than 15,000 units, and Sony had produced 30,000.
26.
27. To promote the device amongst younger Japanese, Sony hired young people to walk through the Ginza, offering passersby to listen to the Walkman's excellent audio quality.
28. Instead of having a conventional introduction to the press, Sony arranged a bus tour with actors throughout Tokyo posing with the Walkman while the reporters listened to a recorded tour.The Walkman being shown to the press .
29.
30. High school and college festivals and other events were also targeted.
31. In retail outlets, staff was asked to carry around a Walkman with a demo tape and offer customers the chance to listen.
32. In addition to such grassroots marketing efforts, Sony presented a Walkman to various celebrities and asked them to try it.
33.
34.
35.
36. For the next six months, shops were consistently selling out, and retailers' previous skepticism over the salability of the Walkman was replaced with pleas for more supplies.
37. The popularity of the Walkman spread very quickly to a wider young audience, and it became a fashionable new way to enjoy music.
38.
39. In 1981, Walkman was listed in Le Petit Larousse, a well-known French dictionary.
40. In1986, the name was included in the Oxford English Dictionary.
41. Morita said that nothing made him happier than the fact that "Walkman" had been accepted around the world as an English word.
42.
43. In 1995, total production of Walkman units reached 150 million.
