SONY make.believe

1984: Ghostbusters made its ways onto the big screen, Los Angeles hosted athletes from around the globe and the first ever flight in space by a human untethered using jet back packs happened. What better way to rock out to all these 80’s milestones than by pulling out a Sony Walkman® CD player. Introduced in 1984 and very shortly after the concept of CD players were introduced, the D-50 was world’s first portable CD player. The CD player was compact for its time equaling the size of approximately four CD cases with a weight of around 590g. Offered for less than 50,000 yen, this device sparked the adoption of the CD.

This initial version was not associated with what we now think of as “Discman” though it was the father of such gadgets. Now between then and later versions, much was improved. Housed in a larger battery case, it included a location to attach a shoulder strap so you can “jog” with this rather hefty (today) pack. Basic features on this new CD player were moving along to tracks and a small window which displayed the track number.

Earlier this week, a vintage Sony gadget quietly made its way onto the Sony Store website. For those looking for a nostalgic New Year’s Eve party gift or if you still know someone with loads of CDs they refuse to rip I mean digitize, then check this out.  So as you open up your brand new mp3 players and use your new electronic gift cards to download tunes or perhaps pull up your TV for some internet radio as you entertain those New Year’s guests. Just remember as the clock strikes midnight on Sunday and we hit 2012, a mere 28 years prior, a CD disc player was the gadget of the season. But it’s not New Year’s Eve yet. Why start to reflect now? Because it’s a Flashback Friday that’s why.