In 1958, Philips launched the EL 3581 tape recorder – a device that looked like a standard desktop machine but was, in fact, a revolutionary tool for dictation in offices and schools. At a time when 50-year-old Dictaphone phonographs were still being used for this purpose (because practically nothing else was available), Philips chose magnetic tape in a special cassette that didn’t require manual rewinding. Inside, two 3-inch reels housed tape enabling 35 minutes of recording.
The device was a kind of intermediate step between purely reel-to-reel and cassette systems. It featured several additional peculiarities: on the right side, for example, were two connectors for telephone connection (with call recording capability) and for a microphone. The microphone also had a built-in speaker. Another unique element was the foot pedal control block, which allowed secretaries to dictate without interrupting their work.
Today, the Philips EL 3581 is not only a technical artifact, but also a witness to the earliest important experiments on the road to the compact cassette, which finally arrived a few years later.