![]() On the TC-50, that lets the design revolve around the user’s hand, the controls, the mic, and the cassette – everything else more or less disappears. ![]() The chip replaces whole circuits of separate components. ![]() ICs are what has brought us the entire consumer electronics – and musical electronics – revolution. It combines a number of key innovations that make that possible – not necessarily invented by Sony or by the TC-50, but combined in a single product in a way that transforms that technology into user experience: The 1968 TC-50 looks elegant and modern even by today’s standards. As with transistor radios, miniaturized electronics enable a design that becomes personal and portable, which changes the whole relationship of user to device. There’s really a lot in these devices that predicts not only the Walkman, but devices like the iPhone, as well. (Oh, note the other similarity – yes, it’s a safe bet that Roland’s Western-friendly brand name and XX-NNN product names are inspired by the likes of Sony and Sanyo.)Īnd that brings us to the TC series cassette recorders. That included the TR series transistor radio. The company might be known for transforming cassettes, but earlier projects involved a rice cooker and an electric cushion.īut long before Apple, it was Sony that introduced the world – and especially the lucrative American market – to the idea of miniaturized portable electronics. The operation began with a cheap disused space and a few people learning on the job by repairing electronics. Sony’s story will sound familiar to a lot of today’s sound DIYers, synth makers, and Eurorack inventors. But look to the TC-50 before it for some of the technology and usability innovations that changed the world – and joined the Apollo mission – plus a glimpse of where music might boldly go next. Sony’s Walkman turned 40 earlier this month.
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