By Patrick Avenell
OSAKA, JAPAN: Sharp Australia recently hosted Current.com.au on a tour of its museum in its hometown, Osaka. There are some absolutely classic products on display here, including the company's first radio, TV and personal computer. Things certainly have changed since the company was founded just under 100 years ago.
This is Sharp's first ever radio. Released in 1925, it marked the company's move away from its original product line (pencils) and into electronics.
In 1931, Sharp released this radio with built-in speaker capabilities.
Sharp's first black and white TV, released in 1953, cost 175,000 yen. That's just over AU$2,200 on today's exchange rates.
Sharp's VHS recorder, which cost 198,000 yen when released in 1979, was the first to incorporate front loading technology.
For 278,000 yen, this early model PC was popular for the early adopters in 1981. By today's standards, not even Windows 7 could make it run fast enough to play minesweeper.