When you go to the grocery store these days, it’s weird to see someone who’s NOT wearing earbuds. It seems like 99% of people who are out in public are listening to a podcast or custom playlist while they do anything that requires not being in front of a screen.
You might have Sony to blame for that. Not only did Sony help to revolutionize portable music with the release of the Walkman portable cassette player, but they actively marketed it toward youth and tried to build a culture around headphones. So the next time you hear someone randomly start talking and turn to see that they’re (allegedly) talking on the phone through wireless headphones, you can shake your fist at the sky and shout, “Sony!”
Eventually, the device would go on to global domination, but it didn’t immediately catch on in the United States — at least, not under the name “Walkman.” What was Sony’s iconic music player originally known as in the USA?
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The answer is: The Soundabout. When it was first released in the U.S., Sony used the term “Soundabout” instead of Walkman. In the UK it was known as the Stowaway, and Australia got the Freestyle. Turns out the regional marketing approach was pointless, and Walkman became the global and permanent name not long after.Source
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