everything on demand

"Everything on demand" began in 1979.

Long before your smartphone was constantly in your hand, and never more than 2 feet from you at any time (unless you were charging it) the first mass mobile device was the SONY Walkman.

It began as an adaptation of the SONY Pressman, a small, portable recording device used by the media. At the request of Masaru Ibuka, SONY Co-Founder, the Pressman was adapted into a smaller, playback version so he could listen to music during business trips. The Pressman became the Walkman.

The Sony Walkman made everyone the main character. “Life became a film.” as Andreas Pavel, Inventor. “It emotionalized your life.”

The closest competitor at that time was the portable radio - but with a Walkman, you could create your own playlists and listen to whatever you wanted whenever you wanted. Not to mention, it became the most important fashion accessory of the decade.

What was to follow was the arrival of many mobile devices. The cell phone (shoutout to the infamous Motorola brick), compact camera, Gameboy, laptop computers, Palm Pilot, Blackberry and the smartphone - the device where every other mobile device was amalgamated into one.

The smartphone accelerated everything on demand. It was no longer an option, but the default mindset.

That's not necessarily a good thing, but it's definitely a thing.