Link Sony - Sonny At the end of 1945, after World War II, Masaru Ibuka started a radio repair shop in a department store building in Nihonbashi Tokyo. The following year, he joined his colleague Akio Morita and they founded a company called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo KK, which was translated in english = Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation. The first company in Japan to create a tape recorder called type-G.
In early 1950, Ibuka went to the United States and heard about the ' discovery of Bell Labs ' transistor. He convinced Bell to license the transistor technology to the Japanese company. While most American companies are researching transistors for military applications, Ibuka and Morita look at applying them to communication. Although American companies and Texas Instruments District built the first transistor radio, it was Ibuka enterprises that made them commercially successful for the first time. In August 1955, Tokyo Telecommunication Engineering released the Sony TR-55, the first mass-produced radio Transisitor.
They followed up in December of the same year with the release of the Sony TR-72, a product that won support both within Japan and in the export market, including Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany. Featuring six transistors, push-pull outputs and greatly improved sound quality, the TR-72 continues to be a popular seller into the early 60's.
In May 1956, the company released the TR-6, featuring an innovative sleek design and sound quality capable of competing with portable radio tubes. It was for the TR-6 that Sony for the first time contracted "Atchan ", a cartoon character created by Fuyuhiko Okabe, to be his ad character. Now known as "Sony Boy ", the character first appeared in a cartoon ad holding the TR-6 to his ears, but went on to represent the company in advertising for a variety of products well into the mid-sixties. The following year, 1957, Telecommunication engineering Tokyo came out with the TR-63 model, then the smallest (112 × 71 × 32 mm) commercial production transistor radio. It was a commercial success all over the world.
In early 1950, Ibuka went to the United States and heard about the ' discovery of Bell Labs ' transistor. He convinced Bell to license the transistor technology to the Japanese company. While most American companies are researching transistors for military applications, Ibuka and Morita look at applying them to communication. Although American companies and Texas Instruments District built the first transistor radio, it was Ibuka enterprises that made them commercially successful for the first time. In August 1955, Tokyo Telecommunication Engineering released the Sony TR-55, the first mass-produced radio Transisitor.
They followed up in December of the same year with the release of the Sony TR-72, a product that won support both within Japan and in the export market, including Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany. Featuring six transistors, push-pull outputs and greatly improved sound quality, the TR-72 continues to be a popular seller into the early 60's.
In May 1956, the company released the TR-6, featuring an innovative sleek design and sound quality capable of competing with portable radio tubes. It was for the TR-6 that Sony for the first time contracted "Atchan ", a cartoon character created by Fuyuhiko Okabe, to be his ad character. Now known as "Sony Boy ", the character first appeared in a cartoon ad holding the TR-6 to his ears, but went on to represent the company in advertising for a variety of products well into the mid-sixties. The following year, 1957, Telecommunication engineering Tokyo came out with the TR-63 model, then the smallest (112 × 71 × 32 mm) commercial production transistor radio. It was a commercial success all over the world.