It's time to say goodbye...

[cynatnite]

After retiring the floppy disk in March, Sony has halted the manufacture and distribution of another now-obsolete technology: the cassette Walkman, the first low-cost, portable music player.

The final batch was shipped to Japanese retailers in April, according to IT Media. Once these units are sold, new cassette Walkmans will no longer be available through the manufacturer.

The first generation Walkman (which was called the Soundabout in the U.S., and the Stowaway in the UK) was released on July 1, 1979 in Japan.

Although it later became a huge success, it only sold 3,000 units in its first month. Sony managed to sell some 200 million iterations of the cassette Walkman over the product line's 30-year career.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/10/25/sony.retires.walkman.mashable/index.html?hpt=C2

[blondeatlast]

1. It already looks forlorn.

Ah, another trinket of my past down the memory hole.

[Abq_Sarah]

2. I didn't know they still made them

[jp11]

3. Mega Bass got me through highschool!

I didn't know those things were still being made, let alone tapes if they still are made too.

[proteus_lives]

4. I remember mine when I was but a lad.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. didn't know they still made them

[NeedleCast]

6. Now it will attain collectors item status

[Up Quark]

8. I bet you're right...I just threw my old one away 2 days ago!

It worked perfectly too. My great timing at work again, apparently.

:silly:

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. I still have one of those. Use it to listen to the radio when the power is out.

[zen_bohemian]

9. I had one of those

I was more than happy to pay the hefty price tag to get one when they first came out. I was soooo happy when audio cassettes came out, I was more than happy to toss out my 8 track tapes and player, good riddance, 8 tracks had to be the worst invention in the music industry :)

[Gidney N Cloyd]

10. There was something satisfying about that "Kla-chunk" sound when you popped in a tape.

And something terrifying when you heard that wheeeee sound of the tape being eaten and wrapping around the capstan or pinch roller.

[hlthe2b]

11. Fond memories.. a great device for its time...

Farewell, walkman