Lou Ottens, Inventor of the Audio Cassette Tape, Dead at 94

[J. Falcon]

Lou Ottens, Inventor of the Audio Cassette Tape, Dead at 94 - Rolling Stone

Louis Ottens — the Dutch engineer credited with inventing the audio cassette tape — has died at the age of 94.

Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad first reported that Ottens died March 6th in Duizel, the Netherlands. No cause of death was provided.

A longtime engineer at the Dutch electronics and technology company Philips, Ottens — in his role as head of the product development department — led the Belgian team charged with converting the bulky reel-to-reel tape recorders of the era into something more portable and consumer-friendly; Ottens’ goal was to make a cassette tape that could fit a jacket’s inside pocket.

RIP

I read on another new's site, also announcing this story, that there's been a recent resurgence in cassette tapes. Who the hell wants to listen to music on a cassette?

[nikki99]

my first cassette was Poison - flesh and blood (1993)

well bfore that one was Miguel Bose 1983

[CaptainHowdy]

Originally Posted by J. Falcon

Who the hell wants to listen to music on a cassette?

. . .

[fuzebox]

Originally Posted by J. Falcon

Who the hell wants to listen to music on a cassette?

Technically cassette is an analog format like vinyl.

[Rochard]

I saw this. I remember I had a huge cassette collection. I remember meeting a girl and showing her your cassette collection.

RIP.

[J. Falcon]

Originally Posted by fuzebox

Technically cassette is an analog format like vinyl.

Vinyl I guess I can understand. As for tape cassettes, I still have nightmares of my favorite tapes getting tangled up and having to roll it back inside with a pencil. Fucking hate cassettes with a passion.

[Tasty1]

Originally Posted by J. Falcon

Vinyl I guess I can understand. As for tape cassettes, I still have nightmares of my favorite tapes getting tangled up and having to roll it back inside with a pencil. Fucking hate cassettes with a passion.

That is why he started a team that invented the Compact Disc.

[J. Falcon]

Originally Posted by Tasty1

That is why he started a team that invented the Compact Disc.

Those also sucked (though not as much as cassettes) Once they get scratched you're fucked. Plus carrying around those big clumsy cases. MP3 was a Godsend.