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Aiwa
Aiwa (eye-WAH, stylised aiwa) is a Japanese consumer electronics brand of Aiwa Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Towada Audio holdings. The current company was established in 2017 and creates mainly audio products; the brand is also licensed to or owned by other companies in different regions of the world, producing various electronics.
The original Aiwa company was founded in 1951 and was one of the leading creators of audio products such as speakers, boomboxes and stereo systems. After stagnating in the latter half of the 1990s, Aiwa was merged into Sony in 2002 and then unsuccessfully relaunched as a low-cost brand until discontinuation by 2008. Aiwa was relaunched as an independent company in Japan in 2017 by Towada, two years after it was first revived by an American firm.
In Japanese the Aiwa name is a combination of 愛 (ai) and 環 (wa), roughly meaning "circle of love".
The company was founded on June 20, 1951, as AIKO Denki Sangyo Co., Ltd., manufacturing microphones, and changed its name to Aiwa Co., Ltd. (アイワ株式会社), on March 10, 1959. The founder Mitsuo Ikejiri served as president until 1969[citation needed] when Sony purchased a majority share in Aiwa. By 1982, the electronics giant had a 54.6% stake in the company, effectively giving it a majority control. Aiwa was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange from October 1961 until September 2002.
The company was a leading manufacturer of audio products, including headphone stereos, mini-component stereo systems, portable stereo systems, minidisc players, CD and cassette players, and car stereo systems throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Despite not having the brand recognition of Sony, Aiwa products were popular due to their more affordable cost, while still providing good quality.
Aiwa created the first Japanese cassette tape recorder in 1964. Aiwa marketed Japan's first boombox, the TPR-101, in 1968, as well as the first cassette deck, TP-1009. In 1980, Aiwa created the world's first personal stereo recorder, TP-S30 (marketed as CassetteBoy in Japan). Despite Sony being the major shareholder, healthy competition between the two brands was believed to be profitable. It had also released the first cassette deck with Dolby C in its home country. In 1990, Aiwa created the HP-J7 earbuds, designed to be vertically inserted into the ear. In 1993, the first CD+G-compatible portable CD player, the XP-80G, was made.[citation needed]
Aiwa home audio products incorporating BBE signal-processing technology were launched in about 1989, after the company signed a licensing deal with BBE Sound. Also around this time, some Aiwa products were briefly being sold in Japan under the Excelia and Strasser sub-brands.
With growing competition throughout the late 1990s from cheaper Asian manufacturers, and shrinking demand for its products, the company slid towards bankruptcy. In March 2001, the company's president, Masayoshi Morimoto, announced a major restructuring, including the halving of its workforce, following a second consecutive loss–making year. It also announced the closure of all but one of its manufacturing plants, including all in its home country.
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Aiwa
Aiwa (eye-WAH, stylised aiwa) is a Japanese consumer electronics brand of Aiwa Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Towada Audio holdings. The current company was established in 2017 and creates mainly audio products; the brand is also licensed to or owned by other companies in different regions of the world, producing various electronics.
The original Aiwa company was founded in 1951 and was one of the leading creators of audio products such as speakers, boomboxes and stereo systems. After stagnating in the latter half of the 1990s, Aiwa was merged into Sony in 2002 and then unsuccessfully relaunched as a low-cost brand until discontinuation by 2008. Aiwa was relaunched as an independent company in Japan in 2017 by Towada, two years after it was first revived by an American firm.
In Japanese the Aiwa name is a combination of 愛 (ai) and 環 (wa), roughly meaning "circle of love".
The company was founded on June 20, 1951, as AIKO Denki Sangyo Co., Ltd., manufacturing microphones, and changed its name to Aiwa Co., Ltd. (アイワ株式会社), on March 10, 1959. The founder Mitsuo Ikejiri served as president until 1969[citation needed] when Sony purchased a majority share in Aiwa. By 1982, the electronics giant had a 54.6% stake in the company, effectively giving it a majority control. Aiwa was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange from October 1961 until September 2002.
The company was a leading manufacturer of audio products, including headphone stereos, mini-component stereo systems, portable stereo systems, minidisc players, CD and cassette players, and car stereo systems throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Despite not having the brand recognition of Sony, Aiwa products were popular due to their more affordable cost, while still providing good quality.
Aiwa created the first Japanese cassette tape recorder in 1964. Aiwa marketed Japan's first boombox, the TPR-101, in 1968, as well as the first cassette deck, TP-1009. In 1980, Aiwa created the world's first personal stereo recorder, TP-S30 (marketed as CassetteBoy in Japan). Despite Sony being the major shareholder, healthy competition between the two brands was believed to be profitable. It had also released the first cassette deck with Dolby C in its home country. In 1990, Aiwa created the HP-J7 earbuds, designed to be vertically inserted into the ear. In 1993, the first CD+G-compatible portable CD player, the XP-80G, was made.[citation needed]
Aiwa home audio products incorporating BBE signal-processing technology were launched in about 1989, after the company signed a licensing deal with BBE Sound. Also around this time, some Aiwa products were briefly being sold in Japan under the Excelia and Strasser sub-brands.
With growing competition throughout the late 1990s from cheaper Asian manufacturers, and shrinking demand for its products, the company slid towards bankruptcy. In March 2001, the company's president, Masayoshi Morimoto, announced a major restructuring, including the halving of its workforce, following a second consecutive loss–making year. It also announced the closure of all but one of its manufacturing plants, including all in its home country.