Walkman (Walkman) is one of the most iconic products invented by Sony Corporation in Japan, which helped Sony rise again to become a truly world-renowned brand. However, in the face of this Sony's "housekeeping skills", there was a super competitor, and in that era, it pushed Sony to become a leader; this company was neither the electronics giant Panasonic, nor the semiconductor and military ace Toshiba, but the unknown "aiwa" (aiwa).
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > was founded in Tokyo, Japan. </h1>
In 1951, Aihei Electric Industry Co., Ltd. was established in Tokyo, Japan, and its initial business was mainly the manufacture and sale of electrical communication equipment. Soon, Aixing Company began a new business: microphones, and the company and the audio industry formed an indissoluble relationship. In 1959, the company officially changed its name to Aihua.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > befriend Sony</h1>
After the establishment of Aihua, with high-quality products and advanced technology, it soon has its own place in the field of audio. In 1961, it was successfully listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and had factories in Utsunomiya and Iwate in Japan. In 1969, due to financial problems, Aihua suffered the first crisis since its establishment, and the "savior" Sony Company contributed money to help Aihua survive the difficulties, and sony became the largest shareholder of Aihua, with 50.6% of the shares.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Walkman was born</h1>
In 1979, under the leadership of Akio Morita, Sony officially launched an epoch-making product: the Walkman. The advent of Walkman revolutionized the way people listen to music, while also pushing the audio equipment market to its climax. Aihua keenly discovered the great value of Walkman and used its technical advantages in the field of audio to develop a Walkman product with its own characteristics.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > peak era</h1>
Aihua has a deep technical accumulation in the field of sound such as audio, headphones, microphones, etc., and has taken the lead in applying the sound processing technology of the American BBE (Barcus Berry Electronics) to audio equipment. In the Walkman era when "headphone culture" was popular, Aihua quickly emerged in the competition of Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba and other masters with full functions such as headphones with unparalleled sound quality and recording and playback.
In 1992, with the launch of the classic JX3000 model, Aihua's career reached its peak, occupying most of the global market share, completely covering the limelight of Walkman's pioneer and "old owner" Sony. Aihua has also become a global brand.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Japan's economic crisis</h1>
At the end of the 1980s, Japan experienced a massive economic recession. As a highly globalized aihua with a single product, it was particularly affected by the depreciation of the yen, losing more than 10 billion yen in 1987 alone. It survived with Sony's bailouts and drastic downsizing. The Asian financial crisis of 1997 once again had a serious impact on Aihua, and after two blows, Aihua has broken its bones and it is difficult to show its strength.
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > become a victim of Sony</h1>
Although Sony is the largest shareholder of Aihua, it has always maintained a relationship of cooperation and competition. In 2002, Sony acquired Aihua as a wholly-owned shareholder on the basis of the largest shareholder and positioned it as a "cheap product" to seize the low-end market. Aihua's hard-won brand image was sacrificed for the "great cause" of the "master".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > lose yourself</h1>
For aihua's decline, if sacrificing for Sony is an external cause, then losing oneself is an internal cause. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Aihua's products became mediocre, and few bright features appeared. The most wrong decision it made was to abandon its technical superiority in sound quality in favor of focusing on volume and playback time. Aihua, who had lost himself, began to decline.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the end of the Walkman era</h1>
After 2000, digital music forms represented by MP3 and so on began to emerge, and digital music is the representative of the future direction. In 2001, Apple released the iPod, and the mainstream status of the Walkmans began to be replaced by digital music players. At this time, Sony had acquired CBS and shifted its focus to music, film and television content. Aihua, which has not kept up with the Internet and digital trends, is directly facing the fate of being eliminated.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > diversification failure</h1>
In addition to Walkman products, Aihua has also launched other electronic products, such as: computers, modems, household appliances, air cleaners, electric toothbrushes and so on. But they failed to achieve good results, and finally failed.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Aihua no longer</h1>
In 2005, Aihua stopped research and development of new products, and completely withdrew from the Walkman market in 2008. In 2017, Sony sold the Aihua brand to Towada Audio, and Aihua has since ceased to be.
Aihua, in the 1980s and 1990s, seized the opportunity of combining popular music and electronic products to reach the peak of its career development. Then too immersed in success and missed the new window of the times, which is a typical case of prosperity and decline!