As I loaded up my new iPod shuffle last night, I couldn't get over how small it was. This thing is barely bigger than a postage stamp and when it's clipped to my shirt I don't even realize I'm wearing it. As I gazed down upon this tiny music player with over 150 of my favourite songs on it, I thought about young Toronto Mike walking along Jane Street to school wearing a slightly different music player.
I loved my Sony Walkman personal cassette player. Through the years I burnt through many, and I loved them all. I'd dub 90 minute mix tapes and play them in this bulky, heavy device, but at the time it all seemed so awesome.
I wouldn't have believed it if someone had told me then that one day my Walkman would be replaced by a player that:
- Was smaller than a matchbook and weighed about the same
- Held substantially more songs than a 90 minute tape
- Allowed shuffling and skipping of songs without waiting for a fast forward or rewind
- Could be rewritten with new songs in less time than it used to take to dub a single tune
It blows my mind when I think of where we've come in the past 15 years with regards to personal music players. I can't wait to see what I'll be wearing in 2020.
