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Events on Sunday 1 July 1979 2
1979The Walkman — music goes personalMasaru Ibuka, frustrated that the bulky tape recorder he carries on long plane journeys is too heavy, asks Sony engineers to make a tape player small enough to fit in a jacket pocket. The result — the TPS-L2, launched on 1 July 1979 — changes how humans relate to music. The Walkman is the first device to allow private listening while moving through public space. Sony's marketers initially doubt it will sell without a recording function; Morita insists. First-month sales of 30,000 units (planned: 5,000) prove him right.
1979Walkman launchedSony changes music foreverSony introduced the Walkman in July 1979, allowing people to listen to music privately on the go for the first time, forever changing how we consume music.