I think most people are missing the point of continuos development.
The less wires, fewer parts etc is exactly what I am talking about. I
was under the impression that portable units were getting smaller?
Certainly the old TEAC portable CD player I had way back couldn't
handle bumps, was cheap moulding, larger than the size of the actual
CD, bad mechanical mechanisms, low battery life, etc etc.....


Unless you want to track radical changes in style, pictures of the
outside won't be very interesting because component size is still about
17" wide. Colors? They were mostly black, but we seem to be tiring of
black. Silver and gold seem to be making a comeback.

More interesting would be pictures of the inside. As others mentioned,
transports haven't changed drastically, but the electronics have. Early
units were stuffed from "floor to ceiling" with components. Now, the
units are embarrassingly empty inside. Each model year there are less
and less wires, fewer and larger chips.

Current units tend to have fewer front panel buttons. Buttons have
migrated to the remotes.

I'm not sure where to find appropriate images. If you have the time,
you may be able to find some older units at flea markets or estate
sales. -----------------------------------------------------------
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