Monday, October 25, 2010

Walkman manufacturing officially halted at age 31

Just one day ahead of the iPod's ninth anniversary on Oct. 23, Sony has halted manufacturing and distributing the cassette Walkman.

The Walkman was the world's first low-cost, portable tape player. The original Walkman - Walkman TPS-L2 - was blue and silver colored with a metal case. It was released in Japan July 1, 1979. The version distributed in the UK - the Stowaway - came with two mini headphone jacks allowing two listeners to enjoy the "gadget."  While in the U.S. the device consisted of the same inputs, it was given an Americanized alternative name - the Soundabout.

Eventually, Sony changed all of the devices names to the Walkman, which was embossed into the surface of the device. 

Several models followed the original Walkman including Walkman II, CD Walkman or Discman and Video Walkman. The Walkman Pro, released in 1984, allowed the user to record audio onto a cassette tape. 

For information about all Walkman devices visit Walkman Central


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