8-track player:General Electric 8-Track Tape Player

Representing the height of mid-"70s personal technology, this portable 8-track tape player offered music on the go - at home, on the beach, or in the car. Although continuous-loop recording technology dated back to the early 20th century, Ford gave it a great boost by offering 8-track tape players in all of their 1966 cars. An avalanche of 65,000 orders in the first few months of the promotion quickly made 8-tracks standard features in virtually all American cars. More portable than LP records or reel-to-reel tapes, the popular 8-tracks quickly spread from cars to portable tape players like this one. Although later dismissed as an unsuccessful '70s fad, it signified great progress in its day. It was the first tape format to achieve a national mass market, but its reign was short-lived. Cassette technology, which offered even greater convenience, conquered the market by the end of the decade.