On October 1, 32 years ago, Sony released the first consumer model CD player — the CDP-101. By today’s electronics standards, the CDP-101 was a big, boxy monstrous piece of equipment. The price tag was also intimidating, coming in at about 24,000 baht. But it was cutting-edge technology.
It wasn't long before other companies were putting their own CD players on store shelves, and prices eventually came down enough that almost everybody could afford one.
Those were pretty exciting times. CD manufacturers promised crisp, clean sound — without all the clicks and pops you got with vinyl and none of the hiss you got with cassette tapes. In addition, we were told that the CD was an amazing, archival format that was virtually indestructible. Once you bought an album on CD, you'd never have to purchase it again.
These claims proved to be wildly over-sold. Anybody who's left a CD out of its case or in a hot car can tell you that CDs are not indestructible. And they're far from archival. Even the best CD wears out over time.
But eventually, those limitations began to matter less and less. With the advent of MP3 players and digital downloads, CDs are rapidly moving to the point at which they will be as antiquated as cassettes are now.
The MP3 player, most notably the Apple iPod, started to become ubiquitous in the early 2000s. And now, some 14 years later, sales of MP3 players are down so much, that there's some doubt about how much longer they'll be around. This turn of fortunes is due mainly to the rise of the smart phone and the ability to store and play back music, podcasts, movies, etc. all on one device.
So within the space of less than four decades, we've seen new technologies rise and become obsolete with increasing frequency. And that's just in the music business. Think of all the things we hardly, if ever, use anymore. Floppy discs, VHS tapes, fax machines and desktop computers are all either gone or on the way out.
So, on this anniversary of the birth of the CD player, take a look around at the pieces of technology that you now take for granted. Chances are that when you get to be my age, they won't be around anymore.
Sean Vale
Editor
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