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RIP Sony Cassette Walkman

1.8K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  Chimpur  
#1 ·
#2 ·
Sony managed to sell some 200 million iterations of the cassette Walkman over the product line's 30-year career.

The Apple iPod just celebrated it's 9th anniversary and did you know...
During the January 2010 launch of the new iPad line, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that Apple had sold a landmark 250 million iPods since the release of the original iPod in 2001.

Oh well, we'll always have the Walkman case for the iPod. ;)
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#3 ·
I was given a Sony Sport Walkman for my birthday when I was 6 or 7, I loved it! At the time I thought it was so cool that it could play AM and FM radio and play both sides of a tape with out having to flip it! It also helped that it looked really cool with rubberized buttons and a reflective from case!
 
#8 ·
I had this exact Walkman! It was still working, albeit unused in probably 15 years, when I gave it away for free last year on Craigslist... I listed it and had over 50 responses in over an hour... I gave it to the guy who seemed like he was going to get the most use out of it! I bet it's still going...
 
#10 ·
It's amazing to think they made them for a 30 year run! Too bad other technologies didn't last long. I really liked my Sony Mini Disc player! Even though it was basically an updated larger capacity cassette player in many ways. Mine only recorded through a line out. Thinking now there were more cons than pros.
 
#11 ·
So who will admit to owning those pants? ^^^

I have a bulky grey Realistic model that worked when I tried it last year.

Chimpur, I had to buy an MD player in 2005(!) to retrieve a recording someone made of our choir. More cons than pros sounds right to me.
 
#12 ·
That thing was my first real Walkman. I loved bat thing! Ahhhh the memories....I remember listening to The Division Bell over and over on that thing. In fact I think I still have those headphones somewhere in the basement. Coolest toy I got at the time, heck I remember rollerblading with that thing on. Wish I had bought some Apple stock at the time instead....
 
#13 ·
I still use my Walkman a couple of times a year. As crazy as it seems, there are still organizations out there that supply course material in cassette only. Since I long ago ditched the cassette decks in the home stereo or the cars, I keep one walkman around to connect to the iMac so I can convert the tapes to mp3 for iTunes/iPod use.
 
#14 ·
I was using a cassette player as late as 2001... bought a Panasonic in 1999 for $90 to replace a mid 90s model Sony Walkman that still worked but the Panasonic was ultrathin and had more features than you could shake a stick at, but it wasn't very good durability wise so I found out, but I still preferred cassettes to the Sony Discman my parents bought for my siblings and I to use in the mid 90s. Preferred making my own mixes, liked the option of listening to the radio, and the battery life was much much better with the cassette players, until I bought a Panasonic CD Player in 2001 that had 50 hour battery life and I got a new CD Burner so I could make my own mixes. No more spending hours ripping CDs to cassettes lol.

I still have lots of cassettes lying around. Old mixes and karaoke outings we recorded back in the days...
 
#17 ·
One thing you can appreciate from any of these older devices, is that they lasted for a long time! My Sony Walkman Sport is 15 years and going strong! But 2 portable cd players have been around since then and long since bit the dust.