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The Walkman
Though released in 1979, the Sony Walkman gained popularity in the 80's due largely in part to an advancement in lightweight headphones. The Walkman was developed by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita, who were the founders of Sony. -
IBM's PC
IBM led the popularization of at home computing with their first PC launched in 1982. It's development was led by Bill Lowe, and began to move the home computer into the mainstream of society. -
The Clapper
The clapper was a popular item that would switch a light on and off when the user clapped their hands a particular number of times. It was invented by Carlile R. Stevens and Dale E. Reamer in 1984. Though not a revolutionary household item, the jingle "clap on... clap off... its the clapper" was known in most homes, and perhaps implied an increasing promise of new and exciting technological integration in the home. -
The Macintosh Computer
Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh computer in 1984. It featured a mouse, and a graphics user interface. It was the first significant challenge to IBM's PC since launch, but initially struggled to convince many software developers to create Macintosh-friendly programs. -
The Game Boy
The Nintendo Game boy was released at the end of the decade in 1989. It was created by Gunpei Yokoi's research and development team. Not only was this many consumers first experience with handheld portable gaming, it was many peoples first introduction to electronic gaming in general.
