Sony intended it to be a trendy product for consumers under 20 but it became popular regardless of demographics. The Walkman went on sale in 1979 at ¥33,000 which equates to roughly $500 today. Sales were predicted to be 5,000 per month but Sony sold upwards of 50,000 in the first two months of sales.

If you read Kim’s site, Minimally Minimal, regularly, you probably, like me, go for the design/fabrication details and for the photography. This review doesn’t disappoint in either respect.

As for the product itself, I think he makes some great points about technology and about people not knowing what they need until you show it to them. And of course there’s the design of the Walkman, which looks right at home in 2014. Before I was hooked on Apple, I was hooked on Sony. I think this review of the Walkman TPS-L2 captures why.

Joe Stracci