| Year |
Developments at Sharp |
World Events |
| 1976 |
- ・ Launches "New Lifestyle" product strategy
- ・ Markets GT-123T, a radio-cassette player with Sharp’s exclusive automatic song selection feature
- ・ Begins mass production of CMOS LSI chips using the film carrier method
- ・ Sharp solar cells installed on "Ume", Japan's first working satellite
- ・ Markets EL-8026, the first solar-powered calculator
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| 1977 |
- ・ Develops 3 cm-thick EL television
- ・ Markets EL-8130, the world’s first 5 mm-thick, sensor-touch electronic calculator. It was promoted with a campaign stating, "The age of the button is over."
- ・ Builds Japan’s first word processor prototype
|
- ・ US restricts import of Japanese color TVs (May 20)
- ・ Japan’s first metrological satellite, the Himawari launched (July 14)
- ・ Japanese baseball star Sadaharu Oh sets record of total 756 homeruns (September 3)
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| 1978 |
- ・ Markets CT-1804X, a TV that allows viewers to watch two channels at once on one screen
- ・ Markets EL-8140, a 3.8 mm-thick card-sized calculator
|
- ・ New Tokyo International Airport opened (May 20)
- ・ Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed (August 12)
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| 1979 |
- ・ Markets VC-6080, a VCR featuring an original front-loading mechanism
- ・ Markets GF-808, a dual-cassette radio-cassette player allowing easy dubbing of cassettes
- ・ Markets IQ-3000, Japan's first pocket-sized electronic translator
- ・ Markets WD-3000 Japanese word processor
- ・ Markets EL-8152, the world's thinnest calculator at 1.6 mm
- ・ Builds experimental "solar house" at Advanced Development and Planning Center in Tenri, Nara
- ・ Launches Sharp Business Machine Dealers Association
- ・ Establishes Sharp Manufacturing Company of America (SMCA) as manufacturing base in the US
- ・ Establishes Sharp Electronics (Nordic) AB (SEN) as sales base in Sweden
- ・ Establishes Shop Planning Center
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- ・ Diplomatic relations restored between China and US (January 1)
- ・ Second oil crisis (March 17)
- ・ Margaret Thatcher becomes UK's first female prime minister (May 3)
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| 1980 |
- ・ Chairman Tokuji Hayakawa passes away (June 24)
- ・ Launches "New Business" product strategy
- ・ Announces goal of becoming a one-trillion-yen company
- ・ Markets R-5800, the world's first convection microwave oven incorporating a vapor sensor and microcomputer
- ・ Markets CS-6500 calculator that uses voice synthesis technology to announce figures and totals
- ・ Markets FO-2000/1000 facsimiles and becomes comprehensive electronic office equipment manufacturer
- ・ Combines office equipment companies to form Sharp Business Co., Ltd.
- ・ Establishes Sharp-Roxy Electronics Corporation (M) Sdn. Bhd. (SREC), a joint manufacturing company in Malaysia
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- ・ Iran-Iraq War begins (September 22)
- ・ Japan becomes the world's leading automobile manufacturer
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