This week, Sony announced that they were ceasing production of their Walkman portable cassette player in Japan after 30 long years. The device that made music mobile for the first time and has led to the creation of devices like the MP3 player has officially moved into the pages of the history books. The Walkman holds a special place for it was the first electronic device I owned and it introduced me to my favorite company. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, given to me to help keep me occupied on long car trips - I couldn't have been more than six or seven years old. The device fascinated me, how could such a small device play music? From that moment on, my Walkman went everywhere with me, I would even wear it around the house.
For me, this is what Sony represents, this is what Sony is at its core. After all, Sony came from the words sonus (Latin for sound) and sonny (endearing term for a little boy). Originally created specifically for Morita Akio (pictured above) who wanted something to listen to opera during long flights, the Walkman brought in a new era not only for audio electronics but for the music industry in general. Though I don't have my Walkman anymore, I remember it fondly and still think about it every year since the Walkman and I share the same birthday (July 1). So, I bid the Walkman portable cassette player adieu as I add new music to my Walkman MP3 Player - I guess I still keep my Walkman with me all the time.
