The life and death of the Sony Walkman Thirty years ago, the idea that a music fan could carry their entire collection around in a pocket would be unthinkable, if not ludicrous. Now we can take our favourite songs and albums everywhere. Which goes a long way to explaining the demise of the Sony Walkman.It was today confirmed that the iconic cassette players, which had the same impact on global society and pop culture in the ‘80s as iPods have had in the last decade, will no longer be manufactured.The news was announced by Sony spokesman Hiroko Nakamura, who said the company ceased production of the once ground-breaking portable music player in April. Sales are set to end once the last batch disappears from stores.For many, this news will come as a surprise. But that’s not because they’re still buying or using them. The Walkman is instead now considered a long-gone cultural relic from a different age, which suffered at the hands of portable CD players before the rise of digital technology confirmed its terminal decline.The first generation Walkman, which was called the Soundabout in America and the Stowaway in the UK, was released on 1 July 1979 in Japan. Despite only selling 3,000 units in its first month, it soon became a definitive symbol of the decade, merging music with technology into a culturally revolutionary whole.For the generation raised in the ‘80s, making compilation tapes and recording the charts, phrases like ‘auto-reverse’ or a first sighting of the water-proof, yellow WM-F5 device will forever live in the memory. However, this has not stopped Sony’s flagship music product falling into decline as technology moved on apace.Sony’s announcement comes just days after the iPod’s ninth anniversary on 23 October. Of course, the rise of CDs is as much responsible for making both the Walkman and cassette tapes an anachronism and music lovers now have unparalleled access to the full scope of their collection and the devices that play it.Official figures demonstrate the enormous strides made by the market. Sony has sold 220 million cassette Walkman players globally since the product’s launch. However, in under ten years, Apple has shifted 277 million iPods. The Walkman offered consumers limited battery life, clunky design, poor sound quality and a puny capacity. All of these have now been remedied and polished to perfection.So for some, this news will be celebrated as confirmation of our technological progress. But for those mourning Sony’s decision, which comes after they pulled the plug on floppy discs in April, there is some consolation. Chinese makers will continue selling cassette Walkmans in Asia and the Middle East and the brand name will live on in their CD and MD-based products.

 

The life and death of the Sony Walkman

Thirty years ago, the idea that a music fan could carry their entire collection around in a pocket would be unthinkable, if not ludicrous. Now we can take our favourite songs and albums everywhere. Which goes a long way to explaining the demise of the Sony Walkman.

It was today confirmed that the iconic cassette players, which had the same impact on global society and pop culture in the ‘80s as iPods have had in the last decade, will no longer be manufactured.

The news was announced by Sony spokesman Hiroko Nakamura, who said the company ceased production of the once ground-breaking portable music player in April. Sales are set to end once the last batch disappears from stores.

For many, this news will come as a surprise. But that’s not because they’re still buying or using them. The Walkman is instead now considered a long-gone cultural relic from a different age, which suffered at the hands of portable CD players before the rise of digital technology confirmed its terminal decline.

The first generation Walkman, which was called the Soundabout in America and the Stowaway in the UK, was released on 1 July 1979 in Japan. Despite only selling 3,000 units in its first month, it soon became a definitive symbol of the decade, merging music with technology into a culturally revolutionary whole.

For the generation raised in the ‘80s, making compilation tapes and recording the charts, phrases like ‘auto-reverse’ or a first sighting of the water-proof, yellow WM-F5 device will forever live in the memory. However, this has not stopped Sony’s flagship music product falling into decline as technology moved on apace.

Sony’s announcement comes just days after the iPod’s ninth anniversary on 23 October. Of course, the rise of CDs is as much responsible for making both the Walkman and cassette tapes an anachronism and music lovers now have unparalleled access to the full scope of their collection and the devices that play it.

Official figures demonstrate the enormous strides made by the market. Sony has sold 220 million cassette Walkman players globally since the product’s launch. However, in under ten years, Apple has shifted 277 million iPods. The Walkman offered consumers limited battery life, clunky design, poor sound quality and a puny capacity. All of these have now been remedied and polished to perfection.

So for some, this news will be celebrated as confirmation of our technological progress. But for those mourning Sony’s decision, which comes after they pulled the plug on floppy discs in April, there is some consolation. Chinese makers will continue selling cassette Walkmans in Asia and the Middle East and the brand name will live on in their CD and MD-based products.