It’s been 10 years since the first MP3 player was launched. For those who are unaware or think that Diamond Multimedia’s Rio PMP300 was the first MP3 player ever, here’s some news. First MP3 player was launched in March 1998 by Korea’s Saehan Information Systems and was called MPMan F10. F10 had 32 MB of Flash memory and measured 91 x 70 x 165.5 mm. It had a small LCD that displayed the track info and used parallel port for connection to the PC and transfer of songs. It was initially available for $250 but soon prices fell and it was sold for $200 as Diamond Multimedia Rio PMP300 was launched next year for $200. You can call this first ever MP3 Player price war. It boasted of larger screen and expansion slot. It was made famous by RIAA when they sued it for violating 1992 US Home Recordings Act, which it soon got out of and countersued RIAA. 1999 saw the settlement between RIAA and Diamond but by then Rio was already famous among the masses. Then, in 2001 Apple rolled out their iconic iPod and... the rest is history.
Via: RegHardware
