Kozo Ohsone, head of Sony’s General Audio Division, walked into a planning meeting holding a small rectangular shape in his hand. 13 centimeters wide, 4 centimeters thick. About the size of four CD cases stacked together. He placed it on the table and said, “This is the size we’re aiming for.”
People laughed, but not for long.
At the time, compact discs were still a niche. The CDP-101 had impressed audiophiles, but the format hadn’t broken into everyday life. Sony knew they needed something else. Something that would make CDs personal, and mobile. Something people would want to show off in public.
Sony called it the D-50. Publicly, they gave it a name people would remember.
Discman.
