When Sony shipped the first Walkman in 1979, chairman Akio Morita insisted on a second headphone jack and a “hotline” talk button, convinced it would be rude fo... (opens in new tab)

The Sony Walkman TPS-L2 went on sale in Japan on July 1, 1979, and the machine that reached store shelves that summer had two headphone jacks on the side instead of one, plus a small orange button marked “hotline.” Both features came directly from Sony chairman Akio Morita, who was convinced it would be rude […]