Did Sony make this Zenith transistor radio? Apple Mac Powerbook 100? Vintage tech laptop computer
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Part of the Sony lore
Part of the Sony lore is the great story of how Akio Morita, one of its founders, refused, in 1955, to make a radio for another company that would not have the Sony brand on it but instead that other company's brand. Making products that will bear other brand names is a common practice, but Sony refused.
This is the lore, anyway, and I'll tell you that full story in a few minutes, but we're looking today at a Zenith radio that SEEMS to contradict this part of Sony mythology, because.. this Zenith is SO Sony-like.. that I always suspected that Sony made it for Zenith. We'll look it over closely and compare it to the Sony model most similar..and.. see what we see.
We'll also look at another product, a rather famous one introduced in 1991, said to have been made by Sony that appeared with another brand on it. It's a brand you've definitely heard of. Later in the video.
But first let's look this Zenith over. It's model R25Y1. One of the key similarities to the Sony is the unusual way this antenna rod folds down and kind of tucks into the side of the cabinet. You just don't see that on radios other than Sonys, usually. This gray business at the end of the antenna rod is not original. When I got this radio it was missing its antenna tip and the point was pretty sharp, so I molded a piece of epoxy putty over it. Was the original tip one of those very-Sony looking ruby red plastic tips? I don't know. That would have been a convincing clue as to whether or not Sony made this Zenith. But without the original tip here, I don't know. Wait a minute. Maybe I have another one of these Zeniths. I'll go look for it while you look at Zenith pictures. I'll be right back.
Oh yeah! Look at this. It's another Zenith R25Y1 and in the case even. The back is black, just like on the other one, but the grille of this one is darker. Maybe the other one faded while this one has been tucked away in its case. So.. about that antenna tip. It's not a ball, and it's not translucent ruby colored either, so it's not going to support the argument in favor of Sony being the OEM (original equipment maker) of this Zenith. Still, this tip COULD have been added, like my gray epoxy one, and not even be original. Unlikely, though. On the back it says "Zenith--Hong Kong".. Well, if Sony made it, it would say Japan, right? Well no, not necessarily. Sony had at least one factory in Hong Kong so that doesn't prove anything one way or the other.. either. As we get inside, we see the transistors are marked... not Sony but Hitachi. Oh. Well, it's looking like Sony did not make this Zenith.
Well, there's only one thing left to do, and that is to get ahold of one of those similar Sony models and look inside of it. Sony made a few similar models, AM-FM models like the Zenith. The most similar Sonys being this TFM-850W from around 1965 and this 3F-66W from around 1972. I'll go and get that 3F-66W model since it appears to be the most like the Zenith. While I go look for it, here's that great story I promised you.. from Sony's early days.
This is from Akio Morita's book on the history of Sony called "Made In Japan," published in 1986. He relates what happened when he first offered a Sony transistor radio for distribution in the United States. And I quote,
"Our first transistor radio of 1955 was small and practical...we were very proud of it.
The people at Bulova liked the radio very much and their purchasing officer said very casually,
'We definitely want some of these. We will take one hundred thousand units.' One hundred thousand units! I was stunned. It was an incredible order, worth several times the total capital of our company. We began to talk details, my mind working very fast, when he told me that there was one condition: we would have to put the Bulova name on the radios. That stopped me. I had vowed that we would not be an original equipment maker for other companies. We wanted to make a name for our company on the strength of our own products. I told him I would check with my company, and in fact I did send a message back to Tokyo outlining the deal. The reply was, 'Take the order.' I didn't like the idea, and I didn't like the reply. After thinking it over and over, I decided I had to say no, we would not produce radios under another name. When I returned to call on the man from Bulova he didn't seem to take me seriously at first. How could I turn down such an order? He was convinced I would accept. When I would not budge he got short with me.
'Our company name is a famous brand name that has taken over fifty years to establish,' he said. 'Nobody has ever heard of your brand name. Why not take advantage of ours?'
I understood what he was saying, but I had my own view. 'Fifty years ago,' I said,
'your brand name must have been just as unknown as our name is today. I am here with a new product, and I am now taking the first step for the next fifty years of my company.
This is the lore, anyway, and I'll tell you that full story in a few minutes, but we're looking today at a Zenith radio that SEEMS to contradict this part of Sony mythology, because.. this Zenith is SO Sony-like.. that I always suspected that Sony made it for Zenith. We'll look it over closely and compare it to the Sony model most similar..and.. see what we see.
We'll also look at another product, a rather famous one introduced in 1991, said to have been made by Sony that appeared with another brand on it. It's a brand you've definitely heard of. Later in the video.
But first let's look this Zenith over. It's model R25Y1. One of the key similarities to the Sony is the unusual way this antenna rod folds down and kind of tucks into the side of the cabinet. You just don't see that on radios other than Sonys, usually. This gray business at the end of the antenna rod is not original. When I got this radio it was missing its antenna tip and the point was pretty sharp, so I molded a piece of epoxy putty over it. Was the original tip one of those very-Sony looking ruby red plastic tips? I don't know. That would have been a convincing clue as to whether or not Sony made this Zenith. But without the original tip here, I don't know. Wait a minute. Maybe I have another one of these Zeniths. I'll go look for it while you look at Zenith pictures. I'll be right back.
Oh yeah! Look at this. It's another Zenith R25Y1 and in the case even. The back is black, just like on the other one, but the grille of this one is darker. Maybe the other one faded while this one has been tucked away in its case. So.. about that antenna tip. It's not a ball, and it's not translucent ruby colored either, so it's not going to support the argument in favor of Sony being the OEM (original equipment maker) of this Zenith. Still, this tip COULD have been added, like my gray epoxy one, and not even be original. Unlikely, though. On the back it says "Zenith--Hong Kong".. Well, if Sony made it, it would say Japan, right? Well no, not necessarily. Sony had at least one factory in Hong Kong so that doesn't prove anything one way or the other.. either. As we get inside, we see the transistors are marked... not Sony but Hitachi. Oh. Well, it's looking like Sony did not make this Zenith.
Well, there's only one thing left to do, and that is to get ahold of one of those similar Sony models and look inside of it. Sony made a few similar models, AM-FM models like the Zenith. The most similar Sonys being this TFM-850W from around 1965 and this 3F-66W from around 1972. I'll go and get that 3F-66W model since it appears to be the most like the Zenith. While I go look for it, here's that great story I promised you.. from Sony's early days.
This is from Akio Morita's book on the history of Sony called "Made In Japan," published in 1986. He relates what happened when he first offered a Sony transistor radio for distribution in the United States. And I quote,
"Our first transistor radio of 1955 was small and practical...we were very proud of it.
The people at Bulova liked the radio very much and their purchasing officer said very casually,
'We definitely want some of these. We will take one hundred thousand units.' One hundred thousand units! I was stunned. It was an incredible order, worth several times the total capital of our company. We began to talk details, my mind working very fast, when he told me that there was one condition: we would have to put the Bulova name on the radios. That stopped me. I had vowed that we would not be an original equipment maker for other companies. We wanted to make a name for our company on the strength of our own products. I told him I would check with my company, and in fact I did send a message back to Tokyo outlining the deal. The reply was, 'Take the order.' I didn't like the idea, and I didn't like the reply. After thinking it over and over, I decided I had to say no, we would not produce radios under another name. When I returned to call on the man from Bulova he didn't seem to take me seriously at first. How could I turn down such an order? He was convinced I would accept. When I would not budge he got short with me.
'Our company name is a famous brand name that has taken over fifty years to establish,' he said. 'Nobody has ever heard of your brand name. Why not take advantage of ours?'
I understood what he was saying, but I had my own view. 'Fifty years ago,' I said,
'your brand name must have been just as unknown as our name is today. I am here with a new product, and I am now taking the first step for the next fifty years of my company.
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