Portable Audio Player History
Portable audio players are any mobile devices that are able to play digital music tracks. These can include MP3 players, cell phones or mini-disk players. The majority of portable audio players relate to those devices able to play music files, although technically a handheld digital voice recorder could also be considered a portable audio device.
These days younger people tend to take portable audio players for granted, but theyre a relatively recent addition. Not so long ago portable music for previous generations used to exist only in the form of AM/FM radio. Back in the early 1970s 8-track cassettes were all the rage. They looked a little like VHS video tapes, but back then they were considered to be a huge step for portable music. These days we can look back and realize that the technology was basic at best. When songs ended the cassette had to shift to the next track, which left several seconds of silence between the seams that were usually accompanied by the clunking of the internal mechanisms shifting.
By the time the 1980s was underway, the cassette had developed into the smaller cassette tape. These quickly took over the 8-track as they were able to fit more music tracks and offered better quality sound. Able to fit into a protective case no bigger than a pack of cards, cassette tapes were also used in the first truly portable audio players. These were called walkmans and allowed people to listen to music anywhere they went by attaching headphones to the players. Boomboxes were also popular during the late 1980s, which were portable stereo systems with inbuilt cassette players.
By 1988 the compact disc appeared on the market. People took to these quickly as the appeal of not having to rewind or fast-forward through several minutes of tape just to listen to a different song became apparent. Cassette tapes also had a tendency to wear out or the delicate tape could tear, break or come out of the casing. The digital compact disc was far more indestructible and they were much more conveniently sized than the old vinyl records.
The only real down-side to compact discs was the true portable aspect. As CDs required laser light technology to read the digital files stored on the disc, they were able to be bumped or jolted when played in portable audio players like disc-man players. This meant they were unsuitable for cyclists or joggers, who stuck firmly to the stability of the cassette walkman.
As computers began to enter most homes for personal use, digital music and smaller memory storage devices meant that the technology surrounding digital audio jumped ahead in leaps and bounds. The MP3 file allowed people to listen to music through their computer speakers.
Manufacturers quickly realized that MP3 files and flash memory sticks had the capacity to create the first truly indestructible portable audio player that didnt suffer any of the drawbacks of its predecessors. Thus the MP3 player was born. No bigger than a pack of gum and able to continue playing music files even during heavy activity like cycling or jogging, MP3 players became truly portable. Able to store entire music libraries of music and with the ability to transfer files on and off the device easily meant that these portable audio players enjoyed a rise in popularity previously unseen.
