What was Sony's first product, a tape recorder introduced in 1950?

Sony’s first product was the Type-G tape recorder, introduced in 1950 by the company then known as Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation. The machine was Japan’s first domestically produced tape recorder and marked the young company’s entry into consumer electronics.

Development followed the company’s postwar work on magnetic recording technology and tape manufacturing. The G-Type was completed in January 1950 and went on sale in May. It could record for about one hour, ran tape at 19 centimeters per second, and used a reel design that accommodated tape reels up to 10 inches in diameter.

The recorder was called “G” because many early units were supplied to government organizations, including Japan’s Supreme Court. It weighed about 35 kilograms and cost roughly 160,000 yen, an enormous price when typical starting salaries were far lower. As a result, public sales were weak despite its technical importance.

Sony followed the G-Type with the more compact H-Type in 1951, which was better suited to schools and households. The company’s famous TR-55 transistor radio did not arrive until 1955, while the Sony name itself was adopted officially in 1958.