The cue for the birth of the Walkman headphone stereo that came to dominate the world was the desire of Sony Chairman and music lover Masaru Ibuka for a "more compact piece of equipment." Through the combination of headphones, a cassette tape, and a stereo tape player with neither recording function nor speakers was born through unique product planning. Initially, the product did not sell at all well but once its appeal started to be recognized, sales exploded and the Walkman came to be loved by everyone in the world. The recording media itself subsequently progressed from the cassette tape to the CD, Minidisc, and then memory.