Lou Ottens, a Dutch engineer who invented the first prosecution tape in 1963, dies at the age of 94
- Mr Ottens created the first prosecution tape for Philips back in 1963
- Since then, it is estimated that 100 billion have been sold worldwide
- The engineer died in his hometown of Duizel last weekend, his family announced
Mr Ottens died in his hometown of Duizel last weekend, his family has announced. No cause of death was given
Lou Ottens, the Dutch engineer who invented the first prosecution tape, has died at the age of 94.
Mr Ottens created the first prosecution tape in 1963, and it is estimated that 100 billion have been sold worldwide since then.
His invention transformed the way people went about listening to music and allowed listeners, for the first time ever, to listen to music in motion.
The engineer died in his hometown of Duizel last weekend, his family has announced. No cause of death was given.
Mr. Ottens became head of Philips ’product development division in 1960 and he and his team began developing the prosecution tape.
Lou Ottens, the Dutch entrepreneur who created the first accusation tape, has died at the age of 94. Mr Ottens created the first accusation tape in 1963.
His team of engineers was asked to turn the large reel tape records at the time into a more portable and user-friendly device. The end result was the accusation tape.
The 37-year-old engineer then presented the tape at the Berlin Radio electronics fair (now known as IFA Berlin) on August 30, 1963.
The number one in the UK on this day was Bad to Me by Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas.
Mr Ottens’ team of engineers was asked to convert the then reel-to-reel tape recorders into a more portable and easier-to-use device. The end result was the accusation tape
Speaking in a 2013 interview with Time magazine to mark 50 years since the tape began, he said it was a ‘sensation’ from the moment it was published.
As a result of the public’s fur over this new method of recording and listening to music, in a time when records and radio were just for people to hear their favorite songs, several Japanese companies started reproducing cache-like versions.
As a result, Mr Ottens had to contract with Philips and Sony which saw his model gain a patent.
But the real revolution came in 1979 when Sony released the Walkman, the portable accusative player that took the world by storm.
Mr Ottens himself said this was the ‘perfect fit’ for his invention and cited it as Sony – not Phillips – creating it as one of his professional regrets.
In addition to developing the accusatory tape, Mr. Ottens was also involved in the creation of the hard disk (CD) in the 1980s in his career at Philips.
The CD went on to oversee the tape as a portable music format and replaced it in boom boxes, car stereos and house Hi-Fi systems.
More than 200 billion CDs have now been sold worldwide but are hugely popular due to MP3 players and streaming.
Speaking in 1982, Mr Ottens famously said: ‘From now on, the average player is going extinct. ‘
He retired four years later, finishing a caretaker in which he was in charge of an audio turnaround.
Mr Ottens struck a deal with Philips and Sony that saw his prosecution model patented. But the real revolution came in 1979 when Sony released the Walkman, the portable accusative player that took the world by storm. Mr Ottens said this was the ‘outstanding application’ for his invention and noted that it was created by Sony – not Phillips – as one of his regrets.