Sony introduced the first portable music player, the Walkman, in 1979.
The original model, the TPS-L2, went on sale in Japan on July 1, 1979. Sony adapted a compact cassette recorder into a playback-only stereo player, pairing it with lightweight headphones so people could listen while walking, commuting, or exercising.
The Walkman was not literally the first portable device capable of playing recorded sound. Portable cassette players already existed, and Philips had created the Compact Cassette format in 1963. Sony’s breakthrough was making private, high-quality stereo listening small, affordable, and fashionable enough for mass adoption.
Sony initially expected to sell about 5,000 units per month, but the TPS-L2 sold more than 30,000 in its first two months. Overseas versions used names such as Soundabout and Freestyle before “Walkman” became the global brand. The success helped establish headphones and personal listening as everyday consumer habits.