As quickly and dramatically as the technology of audio players has evolved, so has that of audio media.
From Edison's wax and foil cylinders to today's microchip storage, the media has grown by leaps and bounds in terms of size, stability and quality.
Size:
The foil cones held seconds of audio and were a few inches in diameter. Each one was carried in a protective case.
The Vinyl record is as big as 14" in diameter and held roughly half an hour at 45rpm speed.
The 8-track or Stereo-8 cassette held only 45 minutes and was nearly 5" x 8"
Storage:
|
Media
|
width
|
size
|
Max time
|
Max number of
3.5 minute songs
|
| Tin cylindar 1877 |
6" |
n/a |
4 minutes |
1 |
| Vinyl record 1948 |
12" |
n/a |
30-60 minutes |
17 |
| 8-track tape 1965 |
6" |
|
|
34 |
| Cassette tape 1963 |
4" |
|
60 minutes |
17 |
| Compact Disc 1982 |
5" |
|
70 minutes |
20 |
| MP3's 1995 |
|
|
|
|
| - Compact Disc (MP3) |
6"x1/16th" |
700mb |
~11.6 hours |
200 songs |
| - Secure Digital Card gb |
1.2" |
8gb |
|
2,285,714 songs |
| - USB drive 16gb |
2" |
16gb |
|
4,571,428 songs |
