"It was Aug. 17, 1982, and row upon row of palm-size plates with a rainbow sheen began rolling off an assembly line near the German city of Hannover.
An engineering marvel at the time but instantly recognizable today, the compact disc turns 25 years old on Friday. But in an age of iPods and MP3 players, the CD's future is increasingly in doubt.
Legends abound about how the size of the CD was chosen: some said it matched a Dutch beer coaster; others that a famous conductor or Sony executive wanted it just long enough for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony."
-- International Herald Tribune
Earlier:
RIP VHS
Video, Data on Vinyl Disks
Flashback: Music on the Bones
