Kane Kramer facts for kids

Kane Kramer is a British inventor and businessman. He is famous for inventing the first digital audio player in 1979. This was long before popular devices like the iPod existed!

Inventing the Digital Audio Player

In 1981, Kane Kramer applied for a patent in the UK for his new digital audio player. He called his invention the IXI. The patent was officially granted in 1985. A similar patent was also given to him in the United States in 1987.

The IXI Player's Features

The IXI player was about the size of a credit card. It had a small LCD screen and buttons for navigation and volume. It could store at least 8 MB of digital data using a special "bubble memory" chip. This was enough for about 3½ minutes of audio.

Later, plans were made for a memory card that could hold 10 minutes of stereo sound. The system was even fitted with a hard drive at one point. This allowed it to store over an hour of recorded digital music.

Early Support and Prototypes

Kane Kramer's first investor was the famous musician, Sir Paul McCartney. Kramer then started a company to promote his IXI invention. They made five working prototypes of the device. These prototypes could play high-quality sound.

A pre-production version of the IXI was shown to the public in October 1986. This happened at the APRS Audio/Visual trade exhibition. Kramer said in an interview that his company had many orders for the device. These orders were worth about £60 million today.

Patent Challenges

Sadly, in 1988, a problem happened within Kramer's company. They could not raise the £60,000 needed to renew the patent. Because of this, the patent expired and became available for anyone to use. Even though the patent expired, Kramer still owns the original designs for the IXI.

Helping Apple with the iPod

In 2008, Kane Kramer was asked to be a witness for Apple Inc.. Apple was facing legal challenges about its iPod digital audio player. Kramer's early invention helped Apple show that the idea of a digital audio player had been around for a long time.

Kane Kramer's Current Work

Kane Kramer is still very active in the world of technology. He is the Chairman of the British Inventor's Society. He also organizes the British Invention Show and the World Invention Awards.

Kramer works as a technology advisor for different companies. He also gives talks about new ideas and inventions around the world. He has even spoken at important places like the Royal Courts of Justice.

Film and TV Productions

Kramer is also involved in making films and TV shows. He is a director and executive producer for a film called Disparity. This film was finished in late 2018. He has also worked on a new TV series and film called Humankind.

Disparity: The Search for Real-Aid is a 100-minute documentary film. It was Kramer's third production and was released in October 2019. His earlier productions include a concert film of 10CC in 1982 and The Sweet in 1986.