Sony Pulls the Plug On Cassette Walkman Manufacturing

Seems quite strange in this day and age to talk about cassette audio players, but these were actually quite a breakthrough when they were first launched more then 30 years ago, for many of us being the only way available to take our favorite music along with us before the advent of the iPod and the like, Sony just stopping the manufacturing of these iconic devices.

Well, before starting this, let me tell you this comes as a shocker to me, not because the Japanese company will stop producing the cassette Walkman, as this seems quite an obvious thing to do for me, but because I didn't knew that Sony is still manufacturing these things.

Anyway, moving past the initial shock, Sony actually says they have pulled Walkman cassette players off the production line since April, the last units available being sold by retailers right now, so these are the very last units to come to market (if you don't count the Chinese manufacturers that are still licensed to produce Walkmans).

Introduced in 1979, the Walkman cassette player started its life as the TPS-L2, this portable stereo going on sale in Japan on the 1st of July, the device being later released in the US, Europe and the rest of the world, this becoming an iconic device back then.

The launch was followed by countless other models over the years, offering improved sound quality and other features, until the 1990s when the cassette-based Walkman was passed over in favor of emerging digital technologies such as CD, DAT and MiniDisc.

The final blow dealt to the cassette Walkman was the advent of the MP3 player, Sony actually using the, by now famous, Walkman brand for its digital MP3 player product line.

Sold in 200,020,000 units throughout its 30 years in existence, the cassette Walkman will be surely missed by all of us that got to witness first hand its quirks and twists and have found memories of these things. (via Slashgear)