Golden oldies: A man checks out radios for elderly people at the Kinokuniya Co. flagship bookstore in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, on July 9. Kyodo Photo
Manufacturers are trying to meet the needs of older people by making new audio systems and radios that employ easy-to-use digital technology.
The strategy is paying off, partly because their products are targeted at older audio fans with a preference for the mellower analog sound of good old gramophone records.
Teac Corp.'s GF-350 audio system, released in autumn 2006, converts the analog sound of vinyl records into a digital format. It minimizes the use of digital technology to aid consumers who have difficulty using computers.
The product has been popular with older consumers and more than 100 units are sold each month, a Teac official said.
"The audio system even picks up the noise (of a stylus running through a record groove)," said Takashi Kobayashi, 57, of Iruma, Saitama Prefecture. "This is a godsend for me since I don't know how to use a computer."
Kobayashi began using the Teac system several months ago to convert the records he bought when he was much younger. He rarely played his records on turntables for fear the stylus might damage them.
Now he listens to the digital conversions on CDs while driving.
"We intend to keep making senior-friendly products even if they don't become smash hits," another Teac official said.
Last December, Teac marketed its LP-R500, another user-friendly audio system that burns vinyl records and cassettes onto CDs.
The product, retailing for around ¥70,000, is sold at department stores. Other mass-retailers will soon begin selling the LP-R550 model, according to the company.
Sony Corp. launched its PS-LX300USB in April 2008. It allows people to store the sound of vinyl records on computers via a USB cable. The recommended retail price is ¥28,350, including consumption tax.
"Sales exceeded our initial expectations and demand outstripped supply," a Sony official said. "Sales of the product are still going strong."
Seniors are also snapping up radios sold at large bookstores.
Olympus Corp. in the spring released its VJ-10-JA stationary radio, which comes with a hard-disk drive with English lessons produced by broadcaster NHK.
Sun Corp.'s portable TalkMaster radios can record a wider variety of language programs produced by NHK, including various European languages as well as Arabic, Mandarin and Korean. The product has sold 130,000 units since April 2003, the Aichi Prefecture-based firm said. Both radios sell for around ¥40,000.
An outlet of Sanseido Bookstore Ltd. in Tokyo's Jinbo-cho district, known for its large concentration of bookshops, said baby boomers in their early 60s are buying the special radios now that they have time to study English.
The radios are popular among not-so-tech-savvy young women, too, according to officials of the flagship bookstore of Kinokuniya Co. in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.[rc]
(C) The Japan Times Ltd.
August 5, 2009
JAPAN: New easy-to-use audio gear aimed at seniors
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TOKYO, Japan / The Japan Times / Technology / August 5, 2009
By Hideyuki Noguchi, Kyodo News
Audio equipment has grown ever more sophisticated thanks to advances in digital technology, posing a challenge for elderly users.
Golden oldies: A man checks out radios for elderly people at the Kinokuniya Co. flagship bookstore in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, on July 9. Kyodo Photo
Manufacturers are trying to meet the needs of older people by making new audio systems and radios that employ easy-to-use digital technology.
The strategy is paying off, partly because their products are targeted at older audio fans with a preference for the mellower analog sound of good old gramophone records.
Teac Corp.'s GF-350 audio system, released in autumn 2006, converts the analog sound of vinyl records into a digital format. It minimizes the use of digital technology to aid consumers who have difficulty using computers.
The product has been popular with older consumers and more than 100 units are sold each month, a Teac official said.
"The audio system even picks up the noise (of a stylus running through a record groove)," said Takashi Kobayashi, 57, of Iruma, Saitama Prefecture. "This is a godsend for me since I don't know how to use a computer."
Kobayashi began using the Teac system several months ago to convert the records he bought when he was much younger. He rarely played his records on turntables for fear the stylus might damage them.
Now he listens to the digital conversions on CDs while driving.
"We intend to keep making senior-friendly products even if they don't become smash hits," another Teac official said.
Last December, Teac marketed its LP-R500, another user-friendly audio system that burns vinyl records and cassettes onto CDs.
The product, retailing for around ¥70,000, is sold at department stores. Other mass-retailers will soon begin selling the LP-R550 model, according to the company.
Sony Corp. launched its PS-LX300USB in April 2008. It allows people to store the sound of vinyl records on computers via a USB cable. The recommended retail price is ¥28,350, including consumption tax.
"Sales exceeded our initial expectations and demand outstripped supply," a Sony official said. "Sales of the product are still going strong."
Seniors are also snapping up radios sold at large bookstores.
Olympus Corp. in the spring released its VJ-10-JA stationary radio, which comes with a hard-disk drive with English lessons produced by broadcaster NHK.
Sun Corp.'s portable TalkMaster radios can record a wider variety of language programs produced by NHK, including various European languages as well as Arabic, Mandarin and Korean. The product has sold 130,000 units since April 2003, the Aichi Prefecture-based firm said. Both radios sell for around ¥40,000.
An outlet of Sanseido Bookstore Ltd. in Tokyo's Jinbo-cho district, known for its large concentration of bookshops, said baby boomers in their early 60s are buying the special radios now that they have time to study English.
The radios are popular among not-so-tech-savvy young women, too, according to officials of the flagship bookstore of Kinokuniya Co. in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.[rc]
(C) The Japan Times Ltd.
Golden oldies: A man checks out radios for elderly people at the Kinokuniya Co. flagship bookstore in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, on July 9. Kyodo Photo
Manufacturers are trying to meet the needs of older people by making new audio systems and radios that employ easy-to-use digital technology.
The strategy is paying off, partly because their products are targeted at older audio fans with a preference for the mellower analog sound of good old gramophone records.
Teac Corp.'s GF-350 audio system, released in autumn 2006, converts the analog sound of vinyl records into a digital format. It minimizes the use of digital technology to aid consumers who have difficulty using computers.
The product has been popular with older consumers and more than 100 units are sold each month, a Teac official said.
"The audio system even picks up the noise (of a stylus running through a record groove)," said Takashi Kobayashi, 57, of Iruma, Saitama Prefecture. "This is a godsend for me since I don't know how to use a computer."
Kobayashi began using the Teac system several months ago to convert the records he bought when he was much younger. He rarely played his records on turntables for fear the stylus might damage them.
Now he listens to the digital conversions on CDs while driving.
"We intend to keep making senior-friendly products even if they don't become smash hits," another Teac official said.
Last December, Teac marketed its LP-R500, another user-friendly audio system that burns vinyl records and cassettes onto CDs.
The product, retailing for around ¥70,000, is sold at department stores. Other mass-retailers will soon begin selling the LP-R550 model, according to the company.
Sony Corp. launched its PS-LX300USB in April 2008. It allows people to store the sound of vinyl records on computers via a USB cable. The recommended retail price is ¥28,350, including consumption tax.
"Sales exceeded our initial expectations and demand outstripped supply," a Sony official said. "Sales of the product are still going strong."
Seniors are also snapping up radios sold at large bookstores.
Olympus Corp. in the spring released its VJ-10-JA stationary radio, which comes with a hard-disk drive with English lessons produced by broadcaster NHK.
Sun Corp.'s portable TalkMaster radios can record a wider variety of language programs produced by NHK, including various European languages as well as Arabic, Mandarin and Korean. The product has sold 130,000 units since April 2003, the Aichi Prefecture-based firm said. Both radios sell for around ¥40,000.
An outlet of Sanseido Bookstore Ltd. in Tokyo's Jinbo-cho district, known for its large concentration of bookshops, said baby boomers in their early 60s are buying the special radios now that they have time to study English.
The radios are popular among not-so-tech-savvy young women, too, according to officials of the flagship bookstore of Kinokuniya Co. in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.[rc]
(C) The Japan Times Ltd.
