Inventions and Inventors Volume 1 - Online Public Access Catalog

Transistor / 783
American living room and used the same vacuum tube amplification
unit. The transistorized portable television set did for images
what the transistor radio did for sound. Sony was the first to develop
an all-transistor television, in 1959. At a time when the trend
in television receivers was toward larger screens, Sony produced
extremely small models with eight-inch screens. Ignoring the marketing
experts who said that Americans would never buy such a
product, Sony introduced these models into the United States in
1960 and found that there was a huge demand for them.
As in radio, the number of television stations on the air and
broadcasts for the viewer to choose from grew. Apersonal television
or radio gave the audience more choices. Instead of one machine in
the family room, there were now several around the house. The
transistorization of mechanical entertainers allowed each family
member to choose his or her own entertainment. Sony learned several
important lessons from the success of the transistor radio and
television. The first was that small size and low price could create
new markets for electronic consumer products. The second was that
constant innovation and cost reduction were essential to keep ahead
of the numerous companies that produced cheaper copies of original
Sony products.
In 1962, Sony introduced a tiny television receiver with a fiveinch
screen. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, it produced even smaller models,
until it had a TV set that could sit in the palm of the hand—the
Video Walkman. Sony’s scientists had developed an entirely new
television screen that worked on a new principle and gave better
color resolution; the company was again able to blend the fruits of
basic scientific research with innovative industrial engineering.
The transistorized amplifier unit used in radio and television sets
was applied to other products, including amplifiers for record players
and tape recorders. Japanese manufacturers were slow to take
part in the boom in high-fidelity audio equipment that began in the
United States in the 1950’s. The leading manufacturers of highquality
audio components were small American companies based
on the talents of one engineer, such as Avery Fisher or Henry Koss.
They sold expensive amplifiers and loudspeakers to audiophiles.
The transistor reduced the size, complexity, and price of these components.
The Japanese took the lead devising complete audio units