Farewell to Sony Walkman

I remember the excitement that I felt just  before my parents bought me my first Sony Walkman. It was an incredible feeling. Finally, I was going to have an electronic gadget that would make me stand out amongst my peers. I could now listen to my favourite audio cassette without being told to turn down the volume. Technology has gone a long way since those ‘good old days’. In fact, there are now so many different digital portable music devices and alternatives to audio cassettes, it was only a matter of time before Sony ceased the production of the once popular portable cassette playing audio device.

Whilst not totally unexpected, the news that production of the world’s first commercial personal stereo system that revolutionised how people listened to music, would stop, is still somewhat shocking. After-all, this was arguably one of the greatest gadget inventions of all time with sales of almost 220 million units following its launch in 1979. Although, the last batch has already been produced for the Japanese market, Sony will continue making the device in China to accommodate a dwindling band of users in US, Europe and some Asian countries before it is finally phased out.

Meanwhile, Sony’s announcement only applies to the tape Walkman. The CD and MP3 versions of the Walkman will remain in production.

Talking Point

Do you have any fond memories of the Sony Walkman?