
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?
Click START below to answer.
▼
Correct Answer: The Soundabout
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
Share This Trivia
Related Topics
Want More Nostalgia?
Check out our other quizzes and random trivia questions!
More Trivia
- Who played Dick Van Dyke's wife on his self-titled sitcom?
- Who briefly replaced Steve Walsh in the band Kansas?
- Which TV show has the most-watched non-finale episode?
- How many times has Dolly Parton topped the Billboard Hot 100?
- How do people avoid being replaced in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"?
- Which Frank Sinatra film inspired Nancy Sinatra's song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"?
- Whose leg is on the poster of "The Graduate"?
- What is MacGyver's first name?