A moment to recognize history.
10 years ago this month, Saehan Information Systems released a product that itself would fade into history but would spark a music revolution. The MPMan was the world’s first MP3 player.
With 32MB of flash, it could hold about 8 songs and sold for $250 here in the US.
Saehan was then run by CEO and Vice-Chairman, Jae Kwan Lee.
Ken, as he is more commonly known, had grown Saehan into a multi-national conglomerate that made everything from lycra to magnetic tape — including most of the tape used in audio cassettes. Irony rocks. Ken’s grandfather may have been the founder of Samsung, but Saehan was Ken’s company and it was a great success.
I worked with Ken a few years later just as political overhaul in South Korea caused huge problems for most of the chaebols and their byzantine corporate structures. But that’s a different chapter. This is about history:
10 years ago this month, Ken and Saehan Media launched the world’s first MP3 player.
March 11, 2008 at 10:45 am |
Really really really funny and fascinating. Wow.
Would love to read your prediction for where this type of device will be in ten years.
March 16, 2008 at 11:13 am |
Ken did that? NFW!