Walkman

File:Original Sony Walkman TPS-L2.JPG

In March 1979, at the request of Masaru Ibuka, the audio department modified the small recorder used by journalists, "Pressman", into a smaller recorder. After many people praised the good sound quality evaluation, Sony, under the leadership of Akio Morita, began to launch the Walkman in July 1979. Morita positioned Walkman in the youth market, emphasized youth, vitality, and fashion, and created a headset culture. In February 1980, he began to sell Walkman to the world, and in November 1980, he began to use the non-standard Japanese and English brands globally. The Walkman has sold more than 250 million units worldwide. When Morita was knighted in October 1992, the headline in the British newspapers The Sun and The Daily Telegraph was "Arise, Sir Sony Walkman". [Doing Cultural Studies: The Story of the Sony Walkman, Paul du Gay][https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9781905246335.1-448.96]

The Compact Cassette was developed by the Dutch electronics firm Philips and released in August 1963. In the late 1960s, the introduction of prerecorded compact cassettes made it possible to listen to music on portable devices as well as on car stereos, though gramophone records remained the most popular format for home listening.{{Cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1907884,00.html|title=The Walkman|last=Haire|first=Meaghan|date=2009-07-01|magazine=Time|access-date=2018-08-20|language=en-US|issn=0040-781X}}

Portable tape players of various designs were available, but none of them were intended to be operated by a person as they were walking. In the 1970s, Brazilian inventor Andreas Pavel devised a method for carrying a player of this type on a belt around the waist, listening via headphones, but his "Stereobelt" concept did not include the required engineering advancements to yield high-quality sound reproduction while the tape player was subject to mechanical shock as would be expected on a person walking. Pavel later lost his suit claiming the Walkman idea as his own.{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bfVKt7UzjnEC&pg=PA85 |title=Stationary patent (on Google Books) |date=14 January 1982 |volume=93 |issue=1288 |magazine=New Scientist |access-date=12 December 2022 |archive-date=12 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212025128/https://books.google.com/books?id=bfVKt7UzjnEC&pg=PA85 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/see-you-in-court-1347858.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/see-you-in-court-1347858.html |archive-date=2022-05-25 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=See you in court|website=The Independent|date=17 May 1996 |accessdate=August 24, 2019}} Finally in 2003, with Pavel threatening to file infringement proceedings in the remaining territories where he held protective rights, Sony approached him with a view to settling the matter amicably, which led to both parties signing a contract and confidentiality agreement in 2004. The settlement was reported to be a cash payment in the "low eight figures" and ongoing royalties of the sale of certain Walkman models.{{Cite web |last=Rohter |first=Larry |date=2005-12-17 |title=An Unlikely Trendsetter Made Earphones a Way of Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/17/world/americas/an-unlikely-trendsetter-made-earphones-a-way-of-life.html |access-date=2024-09-22 |website=The New York Times}}

Sony co-founder Masaru Ibuka used the company's bulky TC-D5 cassette recorder to listen to music while traveling for business. He asked the executive deputy president Norio Ohga to design a playback-only stereo version optimized for walking. The metal-cased blue-and-silver Walkman TPS-L2, the world's first low-cost personal stereo, went on sale in Japan on July 1, 1979, and was sold for around ¥33,000 (or $150.00).{{Cite journal|last=Carl|first=Franzen|date=July 1, 2014|title=The History of the Walkman: 35 Years of Iconic Music Listening|journal=The Verge}} Though Sony predicted it would sell about 5,000 units a month, it sold more than 30,000 in the first two months.

File:Walkman logo (1981-2000).svg

The Walkman was followed by a series of international releases; as overseas sales companies objected to the wasei-eigo name, it was sold under several names, including Sound-about in the United States, Freestyle in Australia and Sweden, and Stowaway in the UK.{{cite web |url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=678&a=728109 |title=Läsarnas sjuka varumärken |publisher=Dagens Nyheter |access-date=2011-01-14 |archive-date=2011-08-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828210223/http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=678&a=728109 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=https://gizmodo.com/the-sony-walkman-was-introduced-in-the-u-s-as-the-soun-1597530887 |first=Matt |last=Novak |title=The Sony Walkman was introduced in the U.S. as the Soundabout |work=Gizmodo |date=1 July 2014}} Eventually, in the early 1980s, Walkman caught on globally and Sony used the name worldwide. The TPS-L2 was introduced in the US in June 1980.

File:Sony WM-DD33,WM-DDIII,WM-D6C (24091871467).jpg

The 1980s was the decade of the intensive development of the Walkman lineup. In 1981, Sony released the second Walkman model, the WM-2, which was significantly smaller than the TPS-L2, thanks to the "inverse" mounting of the power-operated magnetic head and soft-touch buttons. Sony applied the "Walkman" brand to some transistor radios starting with the matching blue SRF-40 FM Walkman in 1980,{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/sony_fm_walkman_stereo_receiv.html|title=FM Walkman Stereo Receiver SRF-40W|website=Radiomuseum|access-date=April 13, 2022}} and added a radio system to some Walkman cassette models starting with the model WM-F1 in 1982.{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/sony_fm_stereo_walkman_wm_f1.html|title=FM Stereo Walkman WM-F1|website=Radiomuseum|access-date=April 13, 2022}} The first model with Dolby noise-reduction system and an auto reverse function appeared in 1982.{{cite web|title=Sony WM-7|url=https://walkmancentral.com/products/wm-7|website=walkmancentral.com}}

The first ultra-compact "cassette-size" Walkman was introduced in 1983, model WM-20, with a telescopic case. This allowed even easier carrying of a Walkman in bags or pockets.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/sonyhistory-e.html|title=Sony Group Portal – Product & Technology Milestones−Personal Audio|website=www.sony.com}}

In October 1985, the WM-101 model was the first in its class with a "gum stick" rechargeable battery. In 1986 Sony presented the first model outfitted with remote control, as well as one with solar battery (WM-F107).

Within a decade of launch, Sony held a 50% market share in the United States and 46% in Japan.{{Cite web|url=https://knowledge.insead.edu/blog/insead-blog/innovation-success-how-the-apple-ipod-broke-all-sonys-walkman-rules-2791|title=Innovation Success: How the Apple iPod Broke all Sony's Walkman Rules|date=March 7, 2012|website=INSEAD Knowledge}}

In 1989, two limited edition 10th anniversary models were released (WM-701S/T) in Japan, made of brass and plated in sterling silver. Only a few hundred were built of each.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/design/gallery/WM-701S/|title=WM-701S WALKMAN® (Remote Control/Auto Reverse Cassette Player) / Gallery / Sony Design / Sony|website=Sony Design}} A 15th anniversary model was also made on July 1, 1994, with vertical loading,{{Cite web|url=https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/design/gallery/WM-EX1/|title=WM-EX1 WALKMAN® (Cassette Player) / Gallery / Sony Design / Sony|website=Sony Design}} and a 20th anniversary on July 1, 1999, with a prestige model.

By 1989, 10 years after the launch of the first model, over {{nowrap|100 million}} Walkmans had been sold worldwide.{{cite magazine |title=Japan: The Next Wave |magazine=New Computer Express |date=31 August 1989 |issue=43 (2 September 1989) |page=7 |url=https://archive.org/details/NewComputerExpress043/page/n6}} {{nowrap|150 million}} units were manufactured by 1995.{{cite web|title=Mr. Morita, I Would Like a Walkman!|url=https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/SonyHistory/2-06.html|website=sony.net}} By 1999, 20 years after the introduction of the first model, Sony sold 186 million cassette Walkmans.{{cite web|title=Sony Celebrates Walkman(R) 20th Anniversary

|url=https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/199907/99-059/|website=www.sony.net|date=1999-07-01}}

Portable compact disc players led to the decline of the cassette Walkman,{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/10/25/sony.retires.walkman.mashable/index.html?iref=allsearch|title=Sony retires the cassette Walkman after 30 years|author=Lauren Indvik, Mashable|access-date=2011-01-14|work=CNN}} which was discontinued in Japan in 2010.{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=11960956|title=Sony Retiring Cassette Walkman in Japan|date=2010-10-25|work=ABC News|access-date=2011-01-14}} The last cassette-based model available in the US was the WM-FX290W,{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/5671670/sony-kills-the-cassette-walkman-on-the-ipods-birthday|title=Sony Kills The Cassette Walkman On The iPod's Birthday*|author=Chan, Casey|work=Gizmodo|date=23 October 2010|publisher=Gawker|access-date=17 September 2017|archive-date=1 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901004200/http://gizmodo.com/5671670/sony-kills-the-cassette-walkman-on-the-ipods-birthday|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665363966|title=Walkman digital tuning weather radio/cassette player WM-FX290W|website=www.sonystyle.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105043128/http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665363966|archive-date=2009-01-05|url-status=dead}} which was first released in 2004.{{Cite web|url=https://reflectiveobserver.medium.com/the-last-walkman-3f2e1d913956|title=The Last Walkman|date=January 14, 2021|website=Medium}}

Sony Sports Walkman WM-F5 (Okinawa).jpg|WM-F5 "Okinawa" Sports Walkman

Sony Walkman WM-F404.jpg|WM-F404, high-end model with TV tuner (1988)

Walkman WM-SXF33.jpg|A "Sport" Walkman model from the early 1990s

Walkman2010.jpg|Sony Walkman WM-EX194 (2004)

{{See also|Discman}}File:WikiGrenier - Lecteur Sony Mini Disc 03.jpg) Walkman player]]

After the success of the cassette Walkman, Sony extended the brand name to other portable non-cassette audio products: for example in 1990, Sony released Digital Audio Tape (DAT) players marketed as DAT Walkman,{{Cite web|url=https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/design/|title=Sony Design|website=Sony Design|date=15 March 2022 }} then in 1992 it launched the MD Walkman brand for portable MiniDisc players. Earlier, Sony also marketed the Discman line of portable compact disc (CD) players which started to rebrand as CD Walkman in 1997.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/199907/99-059/|title=Sony Global – Press Release – Sony Celebrates Walkman(R) 20th Anniversary|website=www.sony.com}} Sony also used the name on other products, such as in 1989 when Sony released portable Video8 recorders marketed as Video Walkman.

File:Sony CD Walkman D-EJ985 rear.jpg released in 2002, bearing the unified Walkman brand]]

With the decreasing relevance of cassette tapes, Sony unified the entire Walkman range of products into a single Walkman name and branding in the summer of 2000, and a new small W. icon was designed as part of the logo which remains in use to this day.

From 2012, Walkman was also the name of the music player software on Sony Xperia. It has since been rebranded to Music.

On December 21, 1999, Sony launched its first ever digital audio players (DAP) under the name Network Walkman (the VAIO division also released a DAP at the same time). The first Walkman DAP used Memory Stick as its storage medium to store audio files in flash memory. It was branded as MS Walkman,{{Cite web|url=https://mobile-review.com/mp3/articles/sony-nw.shtml|title=Mobile-review.com История Sony Network Walkman|website=mobile-review.com}} shortly before the Walkman brand unification. Most future digital Walkman models would instead use built-in solid-state flash memory, although hard disk based players were also made from 2004 to 2007. Since 2005, all Walkman DAPs have been marketed as simply Walkman and thereby dropping the Network prefix that was previously used for this range.{{cite web |date=8 September 2005 |title=Sony relaunches Walkman to challenge iPod |url=https://www.theregister.com/2005/09/08/sony_walkman/ |website=The Register}}

File:Sony Walkman NWZ-E463 Player.jpg digital audio player, released in 2011]]

In its early years, the Walkmans came with OpenMG copyright protection and, until 2004, exclusively supported Sony's in-house ATRAC format; there was no support for industry-standard MP3 as Sony wanted to protect its records division, Sony BMG, from piracy.{{Cite book|title=Actor-Network Theory and Technology Innovation: Advancements and New Concepts|author=Arthur Tatnall|year=2010|publisher=IGI Global|page=170}}{{cite web | url=https://www.zdnet.fr/actualites/musique-numerique-sony-n-est-plus-allergique-au-mp3-39171590.htm | title=Musique numérique: Sony n'est plus allergique au MP3 | date=14 September 2004 }} Additionally, Walkman-branded mobile phones were also made by the Sony Ericsson joint venture.{{Cite web|url=https://newatlas.com/sony-ericsson-w800-the-first-walkman-phone-raises-the-bar-for-mobile-entertainment/3781/|title=Sony Ericsson W800 – the first Walkman phone raises the bar for mobile entertainment|date=March 2, 2005|website=New Atlas}}

Sony could not repeat the success of the cassette player in the 21st-century digital audio player (DAP) market. Rival Apple's iPod range became a large success in the market,{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/13/business/worldbusiness/how-the-ipod-ran-circles-around-the-walkman.html|title=How the iPod Ran Circles Around the Walkman|first=Randall|last=Stross|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 13, 2005}} hindering Walkman sales internationally,{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/15/technology/sony-says-its-an-ipod-killer-not-just-another-walkman.html|title=Sony Says It's an IPod Killer, Not Just Another Walkman|first=Martin|last=Fackler|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 15, 2005}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/sony-takes-bite-out-of-apple-s-iPod-in-japan/story-S0ldd3TmcnGyTz1Cu0b6EM.html|title=Sony takes bite out of Apple's iPod in Japan|date=July 15, 2005|website=Hindustan Times}} though it fared better domestically.{{Cite web|url=https://9to5mac.com/2009/09/03/sony-walkman-briefly-outsells-apple-ipod-in-japan/|title=Sony Walkman briefly outsells Apple iPod in Japan|author=|date=September 3, 2009}}{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/09/02/sony-walkman-sales-surpass-ipod-sales-in-japan/|title=Sony Walkman Sales Surpass iPod Sales In Japan|date=2 September 2010}} The Network Walkman for several years had paltry market share and had also been struggling against numerous other rivals such as Creative, Rio, Mpio and iRiver, although sales and share did eventually increase fivefold in 2005 and continued improving, but remained small.{{cite web |url=https://mobile-review.com/mp3/articles/sony-nw.shtml |title=История Sony Network Walkman |last=Dorozhin |first=Alexey |date=16 March 2007 |access-date=19 April 2022 |language=ru |trans-title=History of the Sony Network Walkman}} Its pricing policy, SonicStage software and lack of MP3 support in earlier years have been suggested factors of its performance. Its U.S. market share in 2006 was 1.9%, placing it behind Apple, SanDisk, Creative and Samsung.{{Cite web|url=https://macdailynews.com/2006/08/17/npd_apple_retains_huge_lead_with_756_share_of_us_music_player_market/|title=NPD: Apple retains huge lead with 75.6% share of U.S. Music player market|date=17 August 2006}} In Japan its share in 2009–2010 was between 43 and 48%, ahead of Apple for the first time.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2009/09/walkman-outsells-ipod-in-japan/|title = Walkman Outsells iPod in Japan|magazine = Wired|last1 = Sorrel|first1 = Charlie}}{{Cite web|url=https://hothardware.com/news/sonys-walkman-outsells-ipod-in-japan-for-first-time|title = Sony's Walkman Outsells iPod in Japan for First Time|date = 5 September 2010}}

File:Sony Walkman NWZ-B135F P.jpg

Meanwhile, Sony Computer Entertainment, a Sony division who are not involved in Walkman products, officially described their PlayStation Portable (PSP) in 2004 as the "21st century Walkman".{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/21st-century-walkman-drags-feet-on-way-to-debut/|title='21st century Walkman' drags feet on way to debut|first=David|last=Becker|website=CNET|accessdate=18 December 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-psp-details-revealed/1100-6072659/|title = Sony PSP details revealed}} While the PSP was a handheld game console first, it was also seen as a modern day portable multimedia and entertainment system akin to the original Walkman.{{Cite web |last=Extension |first=Time |date=2024-12-12 |title=It's Time to Celebrate the PSP, Sony's 21st Century Walkman |url=https://www.timeextension.com/features/its-time-to-celebrate-the-psp-sonys-21st-century-walkman |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Time Extension |language=en-GB}}

Over the years, newer models of the digital Walkman included various new features. The first ever digital Walkman with a color display was the NW-A800 Series released in 2007 and it also provided, for the first time, video playback.{{Cite web |last=Discuss |first=Jimmy 2004 |date=2007-03-03 |title=Sony Going Head-to-Head with iPod Video |url=https://www.techpowerup.com/26602/sony-going-head-to-head-with-ipod-video |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=TechPowerUp |language=en}} The following year came the first with Bluetooth connectivity,{{Cite web |title=History of the Sony Walkman |url=https://www.crutchfield.com/S-4EJRtl9Socj/learn/sony-walkman-history.html |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Crutchfield |language=en}} and in 2009 the first touchscreen Walkman, the X1000.{{Cite web |last=Chow |first=Elaine |date=2009-01-08 |title=Sony Walkman X-Series Is Surfable, Touchable and Shuts Up the World Around You |url=https://gizmodo.com/sony-walkman-x-series-is-surfable-touchable-and-shuts-5125117 |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Gizmodo |language=en-US}} Beginning in late 2006 and lasting until 2019, most new Walkman players had a proprietary WM-PORT terminal which was used not only for charging and syncing but also for connecting to compatible docks.https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00030299{{Cite web |last=Admin |title=Sony releases new NW-A100 Walkman |url=https://thewalkmanblog.blogspot.com/2019/09/sony-releases-new-nw-a100-walkman.html |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=The Walkman Blog}} Other notable features of many Walkman players include the SensMe playlist technology, Karaoke Mode,{{Cite web |date=2010-07-16 |title=Sony Walkman NWZ-E450 does karaoke, we go hands-on (video) |url=https://www.engadget.com/2010-07-16-sony-walkman-nwz-e450-does-karaoke-we-go-hands-on-video.html?_fsig=bL99tbUaYFR1OOekyAGCmg--~A |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Engadget |language=en-US}} Virtual Studio Technology (VST), and various proprietary sound enhancement technologies such as DSEE and ClearAudio. Players compatible with high-resolution audio have been released since 2013.

File:Sony Walkman NW-A105.png

With the shrinking market for purpose-made portable media players during the 2010s, Sony streamlined its Walkman line, marketing a narrower range of products and with an increased emphasis on high-end audiophilic players. This began with the launch of the ZX Series Walkman in 2013{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Jeremy |date=2015-01-06 |title=Sony Introduces $1,200 Luxury Walkman |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/57965-sony-introduces-1200-luxury-walkman/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}} and culminated in the luxurious WM1 Series first released in 2016, which is gold plated and retailed for several thousand US dollars.{{Cite web |last=Heater |first=Brian |date=2016-09-02 |title=You probably don’t need a $3,200 gold-plated Walkman |url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/02/sony-walkman/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}} However outside the high-end space, and the mid-range A Series Walkman, as of 2025, Sony continue to market simple budget-oriented DAPs in the form of the E Series (NW-E390) and the thumb-style B Series (NWZ-B180) as well as the waterproof, sports-oriented WS Series.{{Cite web |title=Sony WS620 Waterproof Sports Walkman unveiled for the outdoor enthusiast {{!}} Android Community |url=https://androidcommunity.com/sony-ws620-waterproof-sports-walkman-unveiled-for-the-outdoor-enthusiast-20170427/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=androidcommunity.com}}

{{Main|Sony marketing}}

The marketing of the original Walkman helped introduce the idea of "Japanese-ness" into global culture, synonymous with miniaturization and high-technology.Du Gay The "Walk-men" and "Walk-women" in advertisements were created to be the ideal reflections of the viewing audience.Du Gay, 25 Sony implemented a marketing strategy, hiring young adults to walk around in public wearing a Walkman, offering nearby people to test out the product. Sony also hired actors to pose with the Walkman around the streets of Tokyo as an additional form of promotion.{{Cite web |title=SONY TPS-L2 – The Walkman Archive |url=https://www.walkman-archive.com/gadgets/walkman_sony_01_tps-l2_eng_v3.htm |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=www.walkman-archive.com}}

A major component of the Walkman advertising campaign was overspecialization of the device. Prior to the Walkman, the common device for portable music was the portable radio, which could only offer listeners standard music broadcasts.{{Cite journal|title = Taking Your Favorite Sound Along: Portable Audio Technologies for Mobile Music Listening|last = Weber|first = Heike|date = 2009|journal = Sound Souvenirs|publisher = Amsterdam University Press}} Having the ability to customize a playlist was a new and exciting revolution in music consumption. Potential buyers had the opportunity to choose their perfect match in terms of mobile listening technology. The ability to play one's personal choice of music and listen privately was a huge selling point of the Walkman, especially amongst teens, who greatly contributed to its success. A diversity of features and styles suggested that there would be a product which was "the perfect choice" for each consumer.Du Gay, 31 This method of marketing to an extremely expansive user-base while maintaining the idea that the product was made for each individual "[got] the best of all possible worlds—mass marketing and personal differentiation".

In the early 2000s, Sony debuted Plato, a blue alien, as its mascot for the Walkman.{{Cite web |last=Adalian |first=Josef |date=2003-09-08 |title=Ad icon Plato reps new TV philosophy |url=https://variety.com/2003/scene/markets-festivals/ad-icon-plato-reps-new-tv-philosophy-1117892042/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

{{See also|Walkman effect}}

Culturally the Walkman had a great effect and it became ubiquitous.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1999-09-14-9909130627-story.html|title=THE SOCIAL REVOLUTION OF WALKMAN|website=Sun Sentinel|date=14 September 1999 |accessdate=18 December 2022}} According to Time, the Walkman's "unprecedented combination of portability (it ran on two AA batteries) and privacy (it featured a headphone jack but no external speaker) made it the ideal product for thousands of consumers looking for a compact portable stereo that they could take with them anywhere". According to The Verge, "the world changed" on the day the Walkman was released.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/7/1/20677636/sony-walkman-anniversary-tps-l2-cassette-music-player-portable-mp3-evolution|title=40 years ago, the Sony Walkman changed how we listen to music|first=Chaim|last=Gartenberg|date=July 1, 2019|website=The Verge}}

The Walkman became an icon in 1980s culture. In 1986, the word "Walkman" entered the Oxford English Dictionary. Millions used the Walkman during exercise, marking the beginning of the aerobics fad. Between 1987 and 1997, the height of the Walkman's popularity, the number of people who said they walked for exercise increased by 30%. Other firms, including Aiwa, Panasonic and Toshiba, produced similar products, and in 1983 cassettes outsold vinyl for the first time.

The Walkman has been cited as influencing people's relationship with music and technology, due to its "solitary" and "personal" nature, as users were listening to their music of choice instead of radio. It has been seen as a precursor of personal mainstream tech possessions such as personal computers or mobile phones.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/rewind-how-the-Walkman-changed-the-world--26551309.html|title=Rewind: How the Walkman changed the world . . .|website=independent|date=15 July 2009 }} Headphones also started to be worn in public. This caused safety controversies in the US, which in 1982 led to the mayor of Woodbridge, New Jersey banning Walkman from being worn in public due to pedestrian accidents.{{Cite web|url=https://patch.com/new-jersey/woodbridge/walkmans-banned-woodbridge-yes-law-still-books|title=Walkman Banned in Woodbridge? Yes, Law Is Still on the Books|date=September 29, 2016|website=Woodbridge, NJ Patch}}

In the market, the Walkman's success also led to great adoption of the Compact Cassette format. Within a few years, cassettes were outselling vinyl records, and would continue to do so until the compact disc (CD) overtook cassette sales in 1991.{{Cite web|url=https://www.stuff.tv/my/features/sony-walkman-history-40-year-anniversary-malaysia-2019|title=How The Sony Walkman Changed All Walks Of Life In 40 Years|website=Stuff|date=11 June 2023 }}{{Cite web|url=https://kodakdigitizing.com/blogs/news/when-did-cds-take-a-front-seat-to-the-cassette-tape|title=When did CD's Take a Front Seat to the Cassette Tape|website=Kodak Digitizing}}

In German-speaking countries, the use of "Walkman" became generic, meaning a personal stereo of any make, to a degree that the Austrian Supreme Court of Justice ruled in 2002 that Sony could not prevent others from using the term "Walkman" to describe similar goods. It is therefore an example of what marketing experts call the "genericide" of a brand.

A large statue of a Sports Walkman FM was erected in Tokyo's Ginza district in 2019 in celebration of the 40th anniversary.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/8512e630-b204-11e9-8cb2-799a3a8cf37b |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/8512e630-b204-11e9-8cb2-799a3a8cf37b |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Japan's reverence for the Sony Walkman is a deadweight|website= Financial Times|date=30 July 2019|last1=Lewis|first1=Leo}}

In 2025, a cassette Walkman from 1979 (model TPS-L2 ) was included in Pirouette: Turning Points in Design, an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art featuring "widely recognized design icons [...] highlighting pivotal moments in design history."{{Cite web |title=Sony Corporation, Tokyo. "Walkman" Portable Audio Cassette Player (model TPS-L2 ). 1979 |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/185344 |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=The Museum of Modern Art}}{{Cite web |date=2025-01-23 |title=NASA Worm as Art, Museum of Modern Art Opens Exhibition Featuring NASA Worm |url=https://www.nasa.gov/get-involved/art-program/museum-of-modern-art-exhibits-nasa-worm/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=NASA |language=en-US}}[https://press.moma.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/MoMA_Pirouette-Viewing-Checklist_Final.pdf Pirouette: Turning Points in Design]

Below is a timeline of recent Walkman models:

{{Timeline of Walkman models (2014–present)}}

Walkman portable digital audio and media players are the only Walkman-branded products still being produced today – although the "Network" prefix is no longer being used, the model numbers still carry the "NW-" prefix. The current product range as of 2024 are:{{Cite web|url=https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/portable-music-players-digital-music-players|title = Support for Digital Music Players | Sony USA}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.sony.jp/walkman/|title = ポータブルオーディオプレーヤー Walkman ウォークマン | ソニー}}

• A Series – mid-range players
• B Series (except Japan) – budget-oriented thumb style music players
• E Series – entry level players
• S Series (Japan) – entry level players
• W/WS Series – wearable music players
• WM1 Series – flagship luxurious high-end players (part of Sony's Signature Series of audio products)
• ZX Series – high-end music players

Since 2017, Sony provided the Music Center for PC software on Microsoft Windows, designed for both content transfer and playback for Walkman and other audio products.{{cite web | url=https://www.sony-mea.com/en/electronics/support/articles/MC4PC010001 | title=Music Center for PC Ver.1.0 | Sony Middle East }}

{{main|List of Sony Walkman products}}

• Discman
• List of Sony Walkman products
• PlayStation Portable
• Sony Watchman
• Stereobelt
• Walkman effect

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• {{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Gop0dQGKm5sC | title = Doing Cultural Studies: The Story of the Sony Walkman | last = Du Gay | first = Paul| publisher = SAGE Publications, in association with The Open University | year = 1997 |isbn=0-7619-5401-5 | location = London |oclc=651974258 |display-authors=etal}}

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{{Commons category|Walkman}}

• [http://www.sony.com/ Official Sony website]

{{Sony Walkman}}

{{Sony Corp|state=collapsed}}

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Category:1980s fads and trends

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