making them

[unpakwon]

Please make the following in red clear for me.

The price of the very first Walkman sold in Japan was $1,000. It debuted in the United States at around $200 in 1979 dollars. Sales and profits went through the roof---overnight, everyone was making them.

Is it saying "everyone was making profits?"

Thank you.

 

[Ali Hsn]

Hi.

*I AM NOT A NATIVE OR TEACHER.*

Considering the form and context, the meaning must be, everyone was buying Walkman.

 

[MikeNewYork]

No, everybody was making "Walkmans".

 

[Ali Hsn]

No, everybody was making "Walkmans".

Do you mean everybody was producing the device? I asked the question because the brand belonged to Sony.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Yes, but it became a generic term, and other manufacturers came out with competing products.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Everybody was making products similar to "Walkmans".

Is it correct?

 

[emsr2d2]

That's the correct meaning, yes. The original text was correct.

 

[emsr2d2]

Well, the original says "everyone". Admittedly, it is very unlikely that everyone/everybody in the world was making a product similar to a Walkman (I know I wasn't), but the original does use the word.
Is this an AmE vs BrE difference. We use "everyone" and "everybody" mostly interchangeably.

 

[MikeNewYork]

We cross-posted.

 

[Ali Hsn]

I got it.
Just to learn more, since "make" can also mean acquire/get/earn/..., theoretically, could the sentence refer to the buyers rather than producers?

 

[Rover_KE]

No.