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From TR-1 to iPod mini
karvind writes "BBC is running an interesting scoop on first transistor radio which has fair resemblance to iPod mini. The Regency TR-1 transistor radio, made in 1954, had a decent claim to be a genuine piece of innovation, however. It was, by popular agreement, the world's first commercially sold transistor pocket radio. Incidently technology watcher John Ousby realised the modern day parallels and matched photos of the transistor with photos of the iPod mini. The similarity between the two has 'created quite a stir' particularly in the Mac community."
here & here.
I can't afford this, but http://cgi.ebay.com/Beautiful-Regency-TR-1-Transis tor-Radio-w-case-GRAY_W0QQitemZ6564339586QQcategor yZ932QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Now you just need to buy a pair of white headphones to go with it...
A pocket sized form factor
That particular radio was not "pocket sized" unles you had very large pockets.
It was considered a fantastic achievement of the time that you could hold a radio in one hand, but it was considerably larger than even the biggest iPod, let alone the mini.
That the tr-1 was featured in BruceBrown's epic surf flick Endless Summer
In various shots throughout the film you can see Surfer Mike Hynson sporting the little radio throughout their surfari in Africa!
-if at first you don't succeed, stay the heck away from paragliding.
...in this original advert. The comparison pictures hide how deep (front-to-back) this radio was.
That would be an AM shuffle. Look at the dial.
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
The device went on sale just in time for hip young gadget freaks to hear Elvis Presley singing That's All Right - recognised by many as the moment at which rock'n'roll was born.
It is also "recognized by many" that the earth is flat. That doesn't make it so.
A 1949 song by Little Richard is more commonly and correctly credited with being the first rock song, although it could be argued that John Lee Hooker's 1949 blues song "Shake, Rattle and Run" (later ripped off in tune and most of its lyrics in the late 50s as "Shake, Rattle and Roll") was the first rock and roll song.
However, the term "Rock and Roll" was coined by Ohio disk jockey Alan Freed in September 1952, a full two years before Prestly's song came out and a full three years after Little Richard's and Mr. Hooker's songs were made.
One would think a real journalist could do the tiniest bit of research. But I suppose one would be incorrect about that as well.
I've been known to grumble when people gush over their iPods- especially when words like "revolutionary" are thrown around. The iPod is a good implementation, but Apple gets far too much credit considering that the Diamond Rio and Creative Nomad Jukebox had already taken the title of first portable MP3 player, and the first one with a HDD respectively. That being said, claiming that the iPod isn't innovative is a bit harsh. Innovation doesn't come just from being the first to have an idea, but from successfully combining two existing ideas together (come on, who wouldn't call the chocolate and peanut butter guys innovative?). Apple saw a need in the market for a smaller, lighter HDD-based player with better battery life, and they filled that hole. That's innovative. Similarly, they realized that most of the people who own iPods are fashion/trend-conscious (which is part of my problem with the iPod- but that can be saved for another post), so they added colors to the lineup. Once again they took an already successful idea, and added to it. And once again, I'd argue that they've innovated.
By the article's logic, neither the TR-1 nor the iPod are actually innovative. The car industry came up with the concept of a product in multiple colors well before then, and the concept of a smaller lighter radio just builds upon the pre-existing transistor radio. What the author doesn't seem to see is that almost all technology builds upon pre-existing ideas. The automobile is based upon the pre-existing idea of the wheel, and the engine- which in turned is built upon the idea of a steam engine. The CD player is the child of the radio, the laser, and the record player. It isn't so much about coming up with the idea first as it is about improving upon it. To be an innovator you don't have to re-invent the mouse trap, you just have to make it better.
> is it not possible that the iPod was developed w/o Apple having any knowledge of this? Highly unlikely. It's not as if the TR-1 is some ultra-rare object - it probably comes up in week 3 of every Intro to Product Design course. The idea that every single person involved in the design and legal process not having any notion of its existence has got to be zero, i hope. However, it's a recurring design for a reason - it's clean and easy. The entire UI consists of the 2 most basic geometric shapes we know: Rectangle and Circle. The interaction is entirely based on this opposable thumb we've come to love so much. Even the larger ipods have nice, big buttons that you can still completely access with one hand. Look at some of the competition to see tiny, silver, rounded buttons whose command icons are etched into the surface and require you to angle to the light just right to see. you may even need to use two hands to get the proper pressure to push them. This is not good product design - this is someone with CAD experience drooling over the metallic shaders his rendering engine can display.
Me thinks you got more karma this way
That's the point. The entire article is only about visual design. It has nothing to do with how the devices actually function, as the iPod obviously has many differences from a transitor radio.
"Well, I 'ad a butcher's at that new Leamington that was Plimsolled out be'ind the bath down the Kermit last night, and what should I notice but a shiney new Paris on the dash. So, make a long story short, I put a copacabana through the Kevin, and Robert is your father's brother. Happy birthday, me old china!"
Now, can you please translate that into english?
$cat gibberish I translator.pl
I had a look at that shiny new car that was parked out behind the bar down the road last night, and what should I notice but a shiny new iPod on the dashboard. So, to make a long story short, I put a spanner [wrench] through the window, and Bob's your uncle. [everything has been taken care of for you.] Happy birthday, my old mate. [pal.]