Sony is one of the largest and most well-known electronics companies in the world. Founded in Japan, it grew from humble beginnings to a gigantic multinational corporation. It goes far beyond just manufacturing electronic products; Sony is also involved in movies, music, games, financial services, and other ventures. In this article, we will look at the origin of Sony and some of its inventions.
Sony was founded after the end of World War II in 1946, under the name Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corp, by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita, with an initial investment of less than 200,000 yen, just over 1,500 dollars. Its first product was an electric rice cooker at the end of the 1940s.
Its first products did not sell well; for example, in 1950, they launched the first Japanese tape recorder, which did not meet the expected performance. In August 1955, they launched the Sony TR-55, the first transistor radio in Japan. But when this product began to be sold in the USA, the name SONY was adopted because, among other reasons, Japanese products at that time did not have a good reputation.
The success of Sony
With the success of the TR-55, it began to invest its efforts to make these radios portable. It was then that in 1957 the Sony TR-63 emerged, a cheap radio that was pocket-sized, attracting the attention of consumers.
These portable radios were a huge success, bringing international recognition to the company’s brand. So much so that in 1960, Sony Corporation of America was created, with its headquarters in New York. Many other products were successful, such as the direct-view portable TV (TV8-301) and the Handycam, a portable video camera, among others, but nothing compares to the success of the Walkman.
Perhaps the most influential product from Sony was the Walkman, launched in 1979. Even though it was met with skepticism at first, it became a best-seller, turning into an international sensation, selling hundreds of millions of units worldwide, as the portable tape player changed the way people listened to music.
In 1984, the Discman was introduced, the company’s first portable CD player. But soon tapes and CDs began to lose ground to digital music; nevertheless, the influence of both the Walkman and the Discman can still be seen today in modern products.
Sony and its many arms
Sony does not only live on electronic products; in 1988, the company bought CBS Record Group, the largest music record label in the world, and the following year acquired the filmmaker Columbia Pictures Entertainment, along with the rights to its film catalog, making Sony Pictures Entertainment an immediate force in the industry.
Both Nintendo and Sega were having success with consoles since the 80s. Seeing the growth of its rivals, Sony Computer Entertainment was founded in 1993 to explore this potential in the global market. In 1994, the PlayStation console was introduced to the Japanese market, contributing to more than 10% of the company’s annual revenue.
Its line of PlayStation consoles and their portables continue to be money-makers for the company. The PlayStation 2, for example, currently holds the title of the best-selling console, with over 150 million units sold worldwide. We don’t even need to mention the famous PS4.
This was a brief summary of the great history of Sony that we all know. Where it started regionally in Japan and became one of the largest companies in the world. I hope you enjoyed the article. What Sony product do you have or have had at home? Who here remembers the Walkman? We appreciate the comments and shares. We also recommend reading:
- Trip to Japan – My experience in Akihabara
- Video games in Japan
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