A really long time ago, before MP3s, those ‘CD’ things your Mom uses as coasters and the internet, there were these things called ‘cassette tapes.’ How can I explain this…okay, they were like USB sticks but bulkier, plastic-ier, only held music and you had to fast forward or rewind to get to different spots like a video with a broken seek bar. And for years, the only way to play these wacky cassette thingys was with a stereo of some sort with a built in tape player.
That all changed in 1979 when Sony introduced the revolutionary portable cassette player known as the Walkman. Music lovers rejoiced, there was dancing in the streets (since the 80s populace could now have their personal music in the streets) and Sony milked the hell out of the concept for decades. Some versions made more sense than others, but the fact remains that those iPods you hold in your grubby little hands owe their existence to the humble Sony Walkman.
Scroll through the gallery above for a visual evolution.