29/09/11 – In 2011, it’s a museum piece – but the vintage Sony Walkman has beaten Apple’s iPod in a T3.com poll to find the greatest tech invention of the last 50 years.
Launched in 1979, the Walkman revolutionised music listening by taking it out of the home or car for the first time – allowing music to be enjoyed ‘anywhere, any time’.
It went on to sell more than 186 million units worldwide before the arrival of the mp3 player and the iPod changed the way we listen to music once again.
The Walkman’s cassette tapes could hold around 25 songs – compared to the 1000s available using a single iPod today.
There was no ‘shuffle’ or ‘repeat’, and its batteries rarely made it through the day.
But the original Walkman had some features even today’s top-of-the-range iPod doesn’t: twin headphone sockets, allowing you to enjoy music with a friend, and batteries you can replace yourself.
“The fact that over 30 years on, the original Sony Walkman is still seen as a greater invention than the iPod is testament to how ground-breaking Sony’s cassette player was,” says Kieran Alger, Editor of T3.com.
“It was the first device to make music properly portable, to give us a soundtrack to every day. It changed the way we listened to music and saw the world. We’re still in love with that idea today, forgetting how annoying it was having to fast-forward to your favourite song – or when your tape chewed up altogether.”
Apple’s iPhone was voted the greatest tech invention in the poll, the Walkman and iPod coming second and third. Microsoft’s 1992 operating system Windows 3.1 and a third Apple device, the iPad, complete the top five.
For more from T3 visit www.t3.com. The winners of the T3 Gadget Awards, the world’s best technology awards, are announced on 10 October 2011.
Greatest Tech Invention: the top 10
- Apple iPhone
- Sony Walkman
- Apple iPod
- Microsoft Windows 3.1
- Apple iPad
- YouTube
- Sony Trinitron TV
- Sky+
- VHS video recorder
ENDS
About T3
Established in 1996, T3 is the world’s best technology lifestyle brand – in print, online at www.t3.com and beyond, from its five-star iPad app to the prestigious T3 Gadget Awards.
T3 is packed with all the latest consumer technology news, reviews and features, covering everything from tablets to consoles and home cinema systems to MP3 players. Exclusives give T3 readers first look at the hottest new gadgets, while extensive buying guides make sure they end up with exactly the right kit.
T3: The only gadget magazine you need.
About Future
Future is a leader in the field of digital publishing and was named Consumer Digital Publisher of the Year at the annual Association of Online Publishers Awards – becoming the first magazine publisher to win the Award. Future also won the Grand Prix Award at the event in June. Its web and mobile sites deliver 160 million page impressions every month to over 25 million unique users*. Future delivers more than 100 digital editions and bespoke apps through the rapidly growing iPad platform and is developing product for new tablet devices coming on stream. Digital now accounts for a third of all Future’s commercial revenues. And its development of video on demand and apps is rightly regarded as market leading. Technology brand T3 is leading the way on iPad, becoming one of the top grossing apps in the UK and one of the very few five star apps in the world. The Future digital portfolio includes award winning and hugely respected brands including: www.techradar.com, www.cyclingnews.com, www.gamesradar.com, www.computerandvideogames.com, www.musicradar.com and www.bikeradar.com.
*Source: comScore Digital Analytix, June 2011
For more information
Contact Steve Wright, Communications Executive, on 01225 822803 or steve.wright@futurenet.com
