As one of the largest manufacturers of consumer and professional electronic products, the largest video game console company and the largest video game publisher in the world, it should come as no surprise that Sony has started with selling rice cookers. But fully failed on the market. There are nuggets of information that you perhaps haven’t heard of. Here’s a short collection of the 6 most interesting facts about Sony.
Interesting Facts About Sony
- The Story behind Sony
- Sony Walkman revolutionized the Music world
- The Story of Sony PlayStation
- Sony Bizarre Creations
- Sony is famous for Innovations
- Sony’s Staff Uniforms in the 70s and 80s
The Story behind Sony
Sony was founded by Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka in 1946. Initially, the company was called TTK or Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo. But later the name “Sony” was chosen for the brand as a mix of two words: one was the Latin word “sonus“, which is the root of sonic and sound, and the other was “sonny“, a common slang term used in 1950s America to call a young boy. While on the contrary, “sonny boys” is a loan word used in 1950s Japan to call smart and presentable young men.
There was a student because of whom Sony became what it is today. But do you know how it started to focus its efforts to make its audio reception and quality better? All the credit can be given to an opera student at the Tokyo Academy of Art. This student complained to the founders about the bad quality of its first batch of sound recorders. The founders were impressed with him and happy about the critique. They eventually hired the boy to make an improvement in the product.
Sony Walkman revolutionized the Music world
The idea of Walkman was never something that any executive at Sony was keen for. This was a product that revolutionized music world. It changed the way we hear music. This was the reason it went on ‘to be sold’ for 31 years. The Walkman was sold as “Soundabout” in the US, “Stowaway” in the United Kingdom, and “Freestyle” in Australia.
The reason behind this was that overseas sales companies thought the name as Japanese-English. Sony America initially suggested the name “Sony Disco Jogger”.
Sony is not just a company that makes for the living rooms but has also produced electronics for those who are behind bars. This issue is known as the prison-issue Walkman SRF-39FP. FP stands for Federal Prison.
It comes with a transparent body. A see-through case prevents the inmates from hiding any contraband inside. But despite their inability to store devices. These small boxes were capable to pick up radio signals through the walls along with a battery backup of 40 hours.
The company started producing pocket radios in the late 1950s and claimed it was the world’s smallest radio. However, the problem which the company faced was the radios were too big to fit in shirt pockets. To get around this obstacle, custom-made shirts with larger pockets were ordered for its salesmen, to make the radios look pocket-fit.
Ria Puneyani
The Story of Sony PlayStation
Nintendo actually signed an agreement with Sony to manufacture an add-on device that could play CDs (Compact Disks) for their Nintendo console. But there were some complications between Nintendo and Sony over software licensing for the newly developed add-on device. So, the partnership fell off all of a sudden.
Then, Sony went ahead and worked on the new console on its own. It was 1994 when Sony released the first PlayStation console. And, the rest is history.
Sony Bizarre Creations
One of the bizarre creations that Sony could never make it to the market was Chorroco, a mini plastic VW campervan that sat on the vinyl record and played music through its speaker as it drove around it.
In 1998, Sony made a fool of itself by releasing a camcorder with night vision. What was so special about this? The camera could be used to see through the clothes. Anyone who wore dark clothes would be exposed. It used Infra-Red light. The company however recalled the product despite selling over 70,000 pieces.
Sony is famous for Innovations
Sony was famous for its inventions. They always looked towards developing newer things. Sony was the developer of compact disks and floppy disks in association with other companies. Sony had some impacts on the development of flask drives.
ATHUL C K
Sony’s Staff Uniforms in the 70s and 80s
Let me tell you one of the fun facts about Sony. Sony had implemented a dress code during the late ’70s and early ’80s. Issey Miyake, a fashion designer in Japan, designed the uniform for all the staff of Sony.
Interestingly, the iconic black turtlenecks worn by Steve Jobs were also designed by Issey Miyake. And, getting inspired by the idea of Sony uniform, Steve Jobs actually tried to implement a new dress code for his Apple employees as well. But nobody liked the idea of a uniform at Apple.
Conclusion
It would be hard to find anyone that doesn’t know about Sony or has not even heard of it. If you have read the post above, then you will know that Sony has gone through a lot of breakthroughs and setbacks.
Despite being surrounded by naysayers, Sony is making highly innovative technologies and products available to us on a consistent basis. We hope they will continue to do so.
FAQs
What is unique about Sony?
Sony is an electronics manufacturer who has gone above what many other electronic companies value, as such Sony has brought us many great inventions which have benefited mankind. Sony continues to innovate and be a world-class leader in reliable electronics, with that elegant and ergonomic Sony style.
What is Sony famous for?
Sony designs and sells electronic equipment, consumer electronics products, home entertainment products, mobile communication devices and imaging products and services.
How did Sony get its name?
Sony, which became the official name for the company in January 1958, was derived from the Latin word “sonus” (sound) and was conceived to be an international and not a Japanese term.
Which country made Sony?
Sony is a Japanese company.
Why did Sony fail?
The high price tag is undoubtedly a major flaw in Sony’s phones. They have poor battery life and charging speed. Low specs even for flagships. Poor sound quality and damn signal plus weird design.
Who founded Sony?
Sony was founded by Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka in 1946.
What was first product of Sony?
The TR-55 was the first product to be labeled with the brand name as Sony.
