I recently read about how transistor technology enabled a whole new range of products, or at least the shrinking of products. Japan was an early adopter of transistors for consumer goods, and the resulting products were a significant contribution to Japan’s rise to a global economic powerhouse.
It’s a good example of how technological innovation changes design and enables new form factors.
By way of an appreciation post, here are a few examples of Japanese transistor-based consumer products — radios, calculators, the first walkman — from the 1960s to 1980s. What a gorgeous design language.
