The Walkman, a portable cassette player that, for the first
time, let us take our music with us without bothering our neighbors, debuted on the market 40
years ago. It first hit the market on July 1, 1979. Although
first-generation Walkman
were expensive, around
$ 300 in today's money value, and unable to record, with their ability to play
music in stereo, they quickly won the hearts of Japanese and later other
nations in the world.
First marketed in the United States and the United Kingdom,
it didn't take long to achieve worldwide success under the Japanese-English brand
name that long ago became a byword for the personal stereo. In its heyday, the Walkman
was as synonymous with portable music players. Walter Helwich clearly remembers his
first Walkman. It came with a lid that had to be opened to accommodate
the cassette, ran on
two AA batteries, played cassette tapes and had no external speaker. It also had two headphone
inputs, so couples could listen to music at the same time. There was also an
orange mute button.
