The History of Sony Corporation

Today Sony Corporation is a huge company, that has its branches all over the world and its annual revenue estimates 68.39 billion US dollars. The company's headquarters are situated in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It is one of the leaders in the field of electronic equipment, communication and information technology.

The foundation of Sony dates back to 1946. On May 7, Masaru Ibuka together with Akio Morita set the roots of Sony Corporation. At first the name of the company was "Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation". In 1958 the company changed its name to "Sony". Its website states that "Sony" comes from a combination of two words: "SONUS", which in Latin means "sound" and "SONNY", which denotes a small size.

The company was established with a capital of 190,000 yen, which is about $ 1,600. Its 20 employees were manufacturing telecommunication and measuring equipment. In 1947 the firm's factory moved to Shinagawa, Tokyo.

Two years later Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation finished its research of the first magnetic tape recorder. In 1950 the company launched its "Sony Tape", which was the first recording tape. In the same year Sony introduced G-Type, being the first tape recorder to play magnetic tapes.

In 1960 the company established its American branch, called SONAM (Sony Corporation of America). Today it is known as SCA. Then Sony introduced the first direct-view-portable TV in the world. The device was named "TV8-301". One year later TC-777 appeared. The device represented world's first all-transistor amp tape recorder.

Sony and CBS Records established a joined venture in 1968. They named it CBS/Sony Records Inc. Then the venture was renamed for several times: in 1973 it was called CBS Sony Inc. and in 1983 the name changed into CBS/Sony Group Inc. Five years later Sony became the wholly owner of the joint venture and in 1991 it was named Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

In 1968 Sony opened its UK branch. At first, the branch held the name Sony (U.K.) Ltd. and in 1993 the name was changed into Sony United Kingdom Ltd.

Sony launched its "Trinitron" color TV in 1968. Then in 1982 the company introduced the first CD player.

In 1993, Sony established "Sony Computer Entertainment Inc." in order to strengthen its positions on the soft- and hardware market. In 2005 Sony launched its "Hi Definition Handycam", which was the smallest device of its kind. Today the company still continues its research in the field of electronic equipment, information technology, being as well an important player in the music and movie industries.

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