Gadget Freak: The Legend Of The Sony Discman

Thanks to the modern technology, music has become a steady constant in the lives of most of us. You can now listen to your favorite songs at home, in your car, while jogging, and even while showering or swimming.

However, before we had all of the gadgetry of nowadays, things were a lot more complicated, but no less fun. After the age of the popular Walkman and the music tapes it required, the era of compact disks began, and with them came the Discman.

Out With The Old, In With The New

The CD revolution began somewhere in the 1980s, which meant the manufacturers in the audio industry had to adapt to the new situation quickly.

The first one to do this – as in most of the cases – was the Japanese Sony.

Sony’s first-ever portable CD player wore the product name of Discman. Released in 1984, this gadget was able to read and reproduce music written on discs, and it was small enough to be carried in a backpack.

Cassette tapes might have been smaller, but the sound quality was incomparably better on compact disc. This pushed more and more people towards the innovative and better-sounding Discman, which went through many changes throughout the years.

Up until the very end of the 20th century, the Sony Discman was still going strong. Then, MP3 players started popping out – more compact and economic than the Walkman and Discman ever were, these tiny gadgets swarmed the market and replaced the old technology quickly.

Although Sony was among the first to transfer to the digital music players, the bulky and loyal Discman will always have its place in the hearts of many of us.