Listen "Walkman: SONY and the First Portable Music Player"
Episode Synopsis
How do you create a product that people don’t even know they want?
Before Steve Jobs made Apple famous for the iPod, he was inspired by another visionary: Akio Morita, the co-founder of SONY.
Morita turned a small Japanese startup into a global powerhouse and, along the way, wrote the playbook for designing revolutionary products.
At the heart of the story is the SONY Walkman – a deceptively simple idea that forever changed how the world listens to music.
In this episode of Project Blueprint, we explore how SONY combined creative technology, product design, and marketing to create one of the most influential consumer products ever made.
What You’ll Learn:
The origins of SONY and Akio Morita’s vision to rebuild Japan through technology
How breakthrough products are conceived, designed, and launched
The marketing secrets behind SONY’s global rise and how you can use them to share your own ideas
Chapters:
(00:00:00) - Introduction
(00:02:48) - WWII
(00:17:12) - Founding
(00:29:42) - Tape Recorder
(00:46:11) - Selling to America
(01:06:45) - The Walkman
(01:31:15) - Launch
Links:
Quick Survey–tell us what you think of the show or share suggestions for the next episode
Sources
Get email updates every time a new episode is released–plus bonus material
Follow us on X
Contact Us
History of Headphones
Before Steve Jobs made Apple famous for the iPod, he was inspired by another visionary: Akio Morita, the co-founder of SONY.
Morita turned a small Japanese startup into a global powerhouse and, along the way, wrote the playbook for designing revolutionary products.
At the heart of the story is the SONY Walkman – a deceptively simple idea that forever changed how the world listens to music.
In this episode of Project Blueprint, we explore how SONY combined creative technology, product design, and marketing to create one of the most influential consumer products ever made.
What You’ll Learn:
The origins of SONY and Akio Morita’s vision to rebuild Japan through technology
How breakthrough products are conceived, designed, and launched
The marketing secrets behind SONY’s global rise and how you can use them to share your own ideas
Chapters:
(00:00:00) - Introduction
(00:02:48) - WWII
(00:17:12) - Founding
(00:29:42) - Tape Recorder
(00:46:11) - Selling to America
(01:06:45) - The Walkman
(01:31:15) - Launch
Links:
Quick Survey–tell us what you think of the show or share suggestions for the next episode
Sources
Get email updates every time a new episode is released–plus bonus material
Follow us on X
Contact Us
History of Headphones
More episodes of the podcast Project Blueprint
Trailer: What is Project Blueprint?
18/10/2025
Boeing 747: The First Jumbo Jet
01/09/2025
Boeing 707: The Plane that Shrank the World
04/08/2025
The Empire State Building
04/08/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.