PLAYSTATION

SONY—The Japanese corporation was founded in 1946 by two partners: Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka. The businessmen were determined to plunge into the stormy sea of ​​development and creation of electronics. They were sure that their company would become not only a Japanese, but also a world leader in this industry.

The first name of the company sounded like Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo or “Totsuko”, which was not very good for the international promotion of the new brand. That is why, in 1950, the company's name was changed to Sonny. This name could be translated from Japanese as “little geniuses”. The problem was that another Japanese word, similar in sound, was translated as “unsuccessful business”. Therefore, it was decided to adjust the new name to the Sony we know now.

The company's first mass product was a reel-to-reel tape recorder, which weighed almost 50 kg. This could have been the end of the company's story, because, despite the successful design of the device, due to its excessive weight, few Japanese were ready to buy it. But fate was on Sony's side. The local court needed tape recorders for recording, and American models were very expensive. So the Japanese company received an order for 24 of its own devices and its first significant profit.

Akio Morita instantly reacts to the problem of the first Sony tape recorder—the next model weighed 13 kg. The novelty begins to be installed in Japanese schools, and the company receives a huge government order. The third model of the tape recorder consolidates Sony's phenomenal success—it becomes a hit on the Japanese market.

After that, the company was unstoppable: televisions, radios, cameras, speakers, game consoles, car stereos, headphones, and headsets—Sony products become a kind of sign of quality. The company is rapidly passing the years, entering the 21st century as the undisputed world leader in the production of various electronics.

New times have brought new directions in the company's activities: mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, laptops, digital frames, Blue-Ray, CD, DVD, BD, and some computer components—Sony once again proves that it “keeps its finger on the pulse” of modern world trends.