Sony
It was 1946, and Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita were making a living in post-war Japan repairing radios and manufacturing voltmeters. But they had a bigger dream, one that would change the future of electronics. Ibuka and Morita were visionaries. They saw the need for a global company that could cross cultural and language barriers to expand into countries around the world. They were also innovators and kicked off their career with the invention of the automatic rice cooker - the first in a long line of innovations that continue today.
But it was the 1950's and the company's original name, Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (TTK), was taken by another company. TTK needed a fresh, iconic name, one that would be simple, memorable and transcend language barriers. The name Sony® was born. It crossed the Latin word sonus, from which sound and sonic are derived, with the English term sonny-boy, an American term used in the 1950's to denote a bright youngster.
Although the name of the company was not officially changed to Sony Corporation until 1958, the first Sony branded TR-55 transistor radio went on sale in 1955. That same year, Akio Morita made his first trip to the US. With products in hand, he was ready to build the foundation of the company with the Sony name.
Sony - make.believe
But it was the 1950's and the company's original name, Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (TTK), was taken by another company. TTK needed a fresh, iconic name, one that would be simple, memorable and transcend language barriers. The name Sony® was born. It crossed the Latin word sonus, from which sound and sonic are derived, with the English term sonny-boy, an American term used in the 1950's to denote a bright youngster.
Although the name of the company was not officially changed to Sony Corporation until 1958, the first Sony branded TR-55 transistor radio went on sale in 1955. That same year, Akio Morita made his first trip to the US. With products in hand, he was ready to build the foundation of the company with the Sony name.
Sony - make.believe