The First Sony Walkman Was Released 40 Years Ago

Post by astrobe_ » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 2:46 PM UTC

gchokov wrote: post #36

niftich wrote: post #11

The UX of cassettes was very useful for sharing and swapping music or speech, and for resuming where one left off. Because of the linear tape, the cassette's "playback cursor" was stateful and independent from whether the medium was read-only or not. Playback resumed at (nearly) the same spot as it was last stopped, even if moved to a different player. Successor formats didn't have this property. Interestingly, Sony…

I enjoyed reading your comment, and couldn't help but thinking how I miss this time. The joy of bringing something physical to somebody - a cassette, a vinyl - for their listening pleasure. The feedback loop from the act of giving and receiving. This whole idea of physical sharing made the music more personal and magical. Nowadays I have shared playlist for family and friends, and it lacks magic.

Post by dingaling » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 2:54 PM UTC

helloworld wrote: post #3

The article links to a very funny video of today's kids trying to figure out a Walkman: https://www.stereogum.com/1675629/watch-kids-try-to-use-a-wa... It's surprising to see how challenging the Walkman UI is to a complete novice.

Post by totaldude87 » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 3:23 PM UTC

Post by moonbug » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 4:36 PM UTC

niftich wrote: post #11

The UX of cassettes was very useful for sharing and swapping music or speech, and for resuming where one left off. Because of the linear tape, the cassette's "playback cursor" was stateful and independent from whether the medium was read-only or not. Playback resumed at (nearly) the same spot as it was last stopped, even if moved to a different player. Successor formats didn't have this property. Interestingly, Sony…

Post by astrodust » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 4:39 PM UTC

Zelphyr wrote: post #102

Daub wrote: post #2

The complete genius of the Walkman was that it featured two headphone jacks. Such a simple design decision, with such large ramifications. In total, the Walkman is a classic example of a disruptive industry: creating new industries and killing (or at least mortally wounding) old ones. I remember how terminally moribund the industry-controlled pop charts had become before mix tapes became a thing.

And like the white iPod ear buds that came twenty years later, those orange foam headphones were a status symbol. Simply walking around with them hanging around your neck made you cool e.g.; Marty McFly at the beginning of Back To The Future I find it amusing that we went from relatively small Walkman headphones, to tiny little Apple earbuds, to giant Beats headphones as the status symbol.