Lou Ottens, Who Invented the Cassette in 1960s and Later Helped Develop CDs, Dies at 94
Chris Willman Music WriterLou Ottens, an engineer who invited the concept of the cassette tape in the early 1960s and later helped develop compact discs, died Saturday at 94, according to news reports from the Netherlands.Ottens was working for Philips when he company unveiled cassettes at a 1963 radio exhibition in Berlin. Prior to the cassette, audio enthusiasts looking for portability had to rely on much bulkier recorders and players; there was never such a thing as a reel-to-reel Walkman for a reason.“It was a big surprise for the market,” Ottens, then 87, said in a 2013 Time magazine story that celebrated the 50th anniversary of the medium being introduced.