Results: Product Life Cycle Part 2. There is a question in some surveys "I am among the first to try new technology." Portable music has gone through several product types. Did you buy any of them?
Published on 11/06/2023
At one time, if you wanted music as you drove the long distances on our north American highways, it was AM radio you listened to or you and the family singing as you drove. This didn't leave much to choose from. Beginning in the mid 1960s for 50 years, new technology allowed us some choice in what we listened to. They all were mechanical devices and this meant they were not always reliable. Do you remember these devices - fondly or otherwise?
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1.
1.
Beginning in the mid 1960s until the early 1980s music was available on 8-Track tape players. I had one in my first car and also had an 8-track recorder on my record player so I could (theoretically) play my home music in my car. If you ever had one of these, do you remember some of the pluses and minuses of this technology?
There were four "programs" on each tape. We would toggle from program to program, with the reading head physically moving . This was a part of the format's downfall.
19%
416 votes
Album tracks had to be shuffled from their intended sequence. In some cases, music had to be added to fill the tape. Bonus!
13%
293 votes
You could get 13 of them for a penny thanks to Columbia House. In the 1980s, many popular titles were only available on 8-Track through record clubs.
28%
607 votes
Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits is probably the last album commercially released on 8-Track.
10%
213 votes
You could not rewind these recordings so fast forwarding was used. Vibration and clunky track changing made the technology unreliable with many a favourite album being reduced to a tangled mess of magnetic tape.
25%
556 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
28 votes
Not Applicable
45%
1000 votes
- Pot holes made the track change.
- none at all
- They would unwind or break
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.62% | 13 | |
| bought one for an aunt's beau for a birthday present, obtained others gratis, never spet money on any | 0.05% | 1 |
| I never bought one | 0.05% | 1 |
| I had lots of CD's, 8 tracks, cassetts and albums back in the 70's but I have none now. | 0.05% | 1 |
| I don’t get what your issue is? We listened to music in the car for years- both radio and tapes | 0.05% | 1 |
| It was better than AM radio | 0.05% | 1 |
| We only had one cassette | 0.05% | 1 |
| songs were split in half | 0.05% | 1 |
| They sucked | 0.05% | 1 |
| The tape would often catch on something then it was ruined | 0.05% | 1 |
| You could be rougher with them than CD's. | 0.05% | 1 |
| I remember listening to 8 track tapes in a car but did not know any of the above features | 0.05% | 1 |
| Used the radio. | 0.05% | 1 |
| I had such recorder, but I do not remember its features or how they worked | 0.05% | 1 |
| I loved them. | 0.05% | 1 |
| My parents had one in the car and at home | 0.05% | 1 |
2.
2.
The audio cassette was one of my favourite methods of playing music or comedy shows in my car. The audio cassette also found its way into portable devices such as the Sony Walkman. which, while clunky, allowed you to jog and play music at the same time. And it also meant you never heard the truck that hit you while you were jogging. Did you ever have one or more audio cassette devices. Do you remember some of these features and benefits?
Tapes came in different lengths and, the longer the tape the more error prone it became.
22%
476 votes
Tape quality was iffy at times resulting in frequent tape jamming. Splicing damaged tapes became a weekend hobby.
33%
723 votes
The easy ability to copy music from a vinyl record or radio onto a cassette created copyright issues and legal disputes.
33%
735 votes
Even though audio cassettes were much smaller than the previously mentioned 8-track tapes, there was the problem of storing music formats in the car or elsewhere.
26%
566 votes
By the time this product was in decline, the quality of sound from this medium was superb (if one spent the money on exotic tape formulations) and this made long distance travel less onerous.
20%
449 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
22 votes
Not Applicable
33%
723 votes
- no
- Recorded a lot of music in the 80's. I still have a lot of cassette tapes.
- Used them all the time when walking to and from school in the 80s
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.47% | 14 | |
| I still have my double casserole boom box. | 0.03% | 1 |
| Unraveled | 0.03% | 1 |
| You needed audible equipment | 0.03% | 1 |
| It was easier to store cassettes than 8-track tapes | 0.03% | 1 |
| Wasn't as easy to break as a CD. One good scratch and a CD was garbage. | 0.03% | 1 |
| Taping lectures were easy on cassettes | 0.03% | 1 |
| I actually liked tapes | 0.03% | 1 |
| Loved the cassette tapes and had many of our favorite music recordings | 0.03% | 1 |
3.
3.
In 1984, CDs (Compact Disks) were introduced which were hyped as being the solution to the tape jamming problem. Sony introduced the Discman and waited for the profits to roll in like they had for the Walkman. This didn't exactly happen because of some of the following issues. Which ones do you remember?
On our less than smooth roads, the "record" jumped. Technology was invented to introduce an up to 15 seconds buffer to allow the missing information to be re added to bridge the skipped area.
25%
549 votes
Many cars still had the 8-Track or cassette players so all sorts of adapters and cables had to be invented to convert the CD signal into the other format - not always successfully.
25%
550 votes
The first CD players in cars tended to "eat" the discs resulting in scratches and skipping.
22%
476 votes
Some idiots dangled CDs from their rear view mirrors and the reflected sunlight blinded approaching drivers
16%
361 votes
Storage of CDs became a problem because, at each advance in technology, the more of ones audio collection was moved into ones vehicle. Music quality was "enhanced" from the use of sub woofers and other high end audio systems resulting in "party central" becoming "party mobile".
22%
481 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
23 votes
Not Applicable
39%
859 votes
- They didn't last as long as I thought they would.
- n./a
- I still have CDs but with Youtube I can listen for free with music videos.
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.53% | 13 | |
| I've heard of the above problems, but do not have experience. | 0.04% | 1 |
| I was going through a couple of boxes yesterday and found one of these. | 0.04% | 1 |
| We had so many CDs we could never listen to them all | 0.04% | 1 |
| I didn't bother with a cd player. No cds until my computer. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Remember disc warping just like vinyl if left in heat/sun for too long. Scratches that friends claimed could be miraculously be fixed with a rub of toothpaste! Trying to exercise like jogging and the skipping and jumping due to no anti-skip tech intr | 0.04% | 1 |
| Could purchase a product to rub on scratches, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. | 0.04% | 1 |
| CDs in portable players were a problem, because they had to be kept level. | 0.04% | 1 |
| did not have issues with this | 0.04% | 1 |
| I had a CD in my car and never had a problem with it. | 0.04% | 1 |
| All the anove | 0.04% | 1 |
4.
4.
A quantum leap in the ability to make music portable was the introduction of the iPod in 2001. Although now discontinued (as of 2022) this is still the method I use. Fully digital, no moving parts, extremely compact - how could a product like this ever become obsolete? And yet it is no longer made. Here are the features you might still like.
My entire music collection could be stored on something not much larger than a postage stamp (although not as thin).
25%
549 votes
The music can be saved in different types of playlists that were individually designed.
25%
543 votes
It was impervious to vibration.
19%
420 votes
It could play the music via Bluetooth so the device itself could be tucked into a shirt pocket.
19%
418 votes
This one device could also have a radio built in and other features I don't use but you might (details please).
13%
279 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
12 votes
Not Applicable
51%
1119 votes
- none
- iPod Touch (wifi added)
- A cell phone that included the same features.
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.18% | 4 | |
| unsure | 0.05% | 1 |
| the basic radio is all I use in the car. On my computer, phone and tV I use iheart for free. | 0.05% | 1 |
| Never had one but it is still my daughter's fav way to listen to music | 0.05% | 1 |
| The sound quality of an MP3 or MP4 is terrible compared to CD. | 0.05% | 1 |
| Never had an ipod. | 0.05% | 1 |
| Apple sucks hard! | 0.05% | 1 |
| None | 0.05% | 1 |
| Never used to the best of my knowledge | 0.05% | 1 |
5.
5.
I bought a car recently and shortly afterwards I got a phone call to see if I was enjoying my free 90 day subscription to SiriusXM where for $10.99 per month, I could enjoy "the widest variety in music, podcasts, sports, and nonstop laughs." Other options for "Infotainment" include streaming from your phone and other technology that does not seem an improvement over my little iPod. What do you listen to when you drive?
An iPod or similar.
6%
123 votes
SiriusFX or similar streaming service
11%
238 votes
CDs
17%
370 votes
Cassettes
10%
211 votes
8-Tracks
5%
115 votes
The radio
40%
879 votes
Content streamed from my phone.
10%
226 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
28 votes
Not Applicable
32%
702 votes
- Ipod nano
- Not Applicable
- radio==it's always there.
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.23% | 5 | |
| fm radio | 0.14% | 3 |
| USB Stick | 0.09% | 2 |
| content on a usb key | 0.05% | 1 |
| News radio | 0.05% | 1 |
| music on a USB key | 0.05% | 1 |
| Thumb Drives | 0.05% | 1 |
| USB stick plugged into my car sound system | 0.05% | 1 |
| Audiobooks | 0.05% | 1 |
| Content from an SD card | 0.05% | 1 |
| Silence or my tinnitus. | 0.05% | 1 |
| USB Stick with music | 0.05% | 1 |
| Android Auto play | 0.05% | 1 |
| Ipod | 0.05% | 1 |
| Bluetooth YouTube | 0.05% | 1 |
| Pandora for free | 0.05% | 1 |
| YouTube/Bluetooth | 0.05% | 1 |
| silence | 0.05% | 1 |
| usb | 0.05% | 1 |
| CDS | 0.05% | 1 |
| Music on a usb | 0.05% | 1 |
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