April 27th, 2006
Regency TR-1: The World’s First iPod
By Alice Hill
RealTechNews
This is a bit before my time, but it is good to remember that fads that seem new are usually far from it. The metal hoop and stick of gentler times evolved into the plastic Hula Hoop of the 60s. The same is true for electronics.
Case in point: the hand-held transistor radio.
The Regency TR-1
There’s an allure to the Regency TR-1 transistor radio that can’t be denied. It was the first (widely embraced) transistorized consumer product, had beautiful and daring styling for the time (styling that still holds up, in my opinion), and further demonstrated the significance of engineering and technology in the 20th century. The story is one of American ingenuity and business daring. And the coincidence of the radio’s introduction and the emergence of rock and roll music in the same year is fascinating. The TR-1 is a true collector’s prize.
It was designed and manufactured in the United States (no, not Japan) for just one year starting in Nov., 1954. About 100,000 were sold that year at $49.95. Source: people.msoe.edu
We Say: $49.95 is pretty pricey in 1950’s dollars. $325.75 in 2005 dollars to be exact according to the Dollar Times Calculator. So those spoiled kids and their fancy electronics are nothing new either.
More on the Regency TR-1 Here
Note: Site is slammed, so check back if you cannot get in
Alice says:
And I forgot to add that they came in multiple colors - so that is no breakthough either!
April 27th, 2006 at 1:24 pm
Lewie says:
I got my first transistor radio as a birthday gift a few years after the Regency came out. A Toshiba with a lace pattern on the speaker grille (my mother must have picked it out). It was the first Japanese product I owned that showed any kind of quality at all. Fancy that.
April 28th, 2006 at 6:29 am
cock says:
yeah, radio=ipod. douche.
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Territorial Bloggings » Blog Archive » Back In The Day says:
[…] Pretty cool posting over at RealTechNews.com — The World’s First iPod. […]
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:55 am