Return of the Walkman

[pc747]

​

There was a time in history, around the late 80s to the mid 90s, where it was standard to see someone walking around with a Walkman. For those with the deer in the headlight look, think grandfather to the iPod except instead of digital music people had to carry around small plastic tapes that stored maybe 7 songs on each side. Well Sony is looking to relive the moment by bringing back the Walkman one more time, except this version will be digitally stored songs, running 4.2, and costing $10...... wait I misread that I mean it will cost $1000 (Sony Introduces The Brand New Walkman NW-ZX2 128GB Music Player For 1200 Powered By Android... 4.2 Hopefully that is a misprint because no way in the world am I paying $1000 for a mp3 player. Well if money is no object and you feeling nostalgic then check out the new Sony Walkman.

edit: pricing was not announced in that video all we have is that it will be a premium device.

Sources: Android Police and #SonyCES

 

[leeshor]

What's old is new again, and better.

 

[Jeffrey]

I don't get it. You can store all the music you will ever need on current Smartphone via the Cloud. Why would I want to carry another device.

What are your thoughts?

 

[pc747]

I don't get it. You can store all the music you will ever need on current Smartphone via the Cloud. Why would I want to carry another device.

What are your thoughts?

I see them trying to appeal to the people "afraid of the cloud". If the rumored price of over $1000 is correct then it is not meant for us the average consumer anyway it is probably for those in the music profession.

 

[leeshor]

Look to the people who sing and make the music to be the primary customers, they can afford it.

 

[FoxKat]

They're saying $1,200. The appeal is "It plays every digital music format under the sun at up to 192 kHz/24 bit quality, with an integrated HX digital amplifier.", NOT that it's 128GB, IMHO. Storage is storage and at the steadily decreasing cost of SD RAM cards, it makes no sense to go that premium for what amounts to twice in storage that many smartphones now come with stock. I paid $50 to get from 32GB to 64GB. That's the most that another 64GB is worth...about $100 as an upgrade. The real question is whether the DAC and amplifier are even close to what is now recognized as audiophile. I mean, headphones are NOT going to compare with a full blown home system so just how much better can it sound?

Sent from my Droid Turbo on Tapatalk.

 

[mugz91]

What I'm taking from all this is that it had to be explained to some what a 'Walkman' was.
Jeez, I'm old.

 

[FoxKat]

ROFLOL @mugz91

 

[bkdodger]

@FoxKat you can trade them Nexus 6 ya got for this puppy... Haha
For the this price it should be a Driveman

Tap'd by Big 6

 

[Jonny Kansas]

No. Just no.

To me, this is something to make you feel like an audiophile when you're not. That price point is ridiculous.

As FoxKat said, headphones are going to be the downfall of this device. I don't care what the hardware and software do, if these don't ship with some SUPER premium headphones, it's not worth half the price.

If this were a device around $100 I could see giving it to a kid that wants a cell phone, but isn't old enough yet. Kinda like the android version of an iPod touch. They can get apps and games and listen to their music.

I just...No...$1,000 for just a standalone music player with Google Play access? No.

I have the much revered iPod classic sitting in my "tech" bag collecting dust. I download tunes that I want with me at all times directly to my sd card on my phone and I stream the rest.

No.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Also, 4 inches is not a "big screen."

Did this guy shove his own head up his own backside, or do you think Sony has people who's job it is to help with that?

As well, I don't know why this made me so angry, but I couldn't even watch half of the video.

I'm sorry you guys had to be a part of this. Haha

 

[pc747]

Hahahaha JK your post just made my morning. So I guess that mean you will not be buying this device when it come out.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Hahahaha JK your post just made my morning. So I guess that mean you will not be buying this device when it come out.

If I wiped my hind-quarters with hundreds, I wouldn't toss 10 of them at this waste of hardware.

I see what they're trying to do here, don't get me wrong. Our generation, that doesn't have to have what a Walkman was explained to them, that HAD walkmen, is a core demographic. We're working, we have some expendable income. If you ask me, this is them trying to cash in on that, but getting it all wrong.

I might be tempted by this for 1/10th the price. Might. But if that's really what they're asking, I don't care what "premium" specs it has. It's still just a media player with a TINY touch screen and some Google Play apps. I have a tablet with a screen almost twice the size that can perform the same function for me.

This thing might surprise me and have a ridiculous sound to it, but I'm not seeing a $1,000+ sound coming from this thing...

I jumped on the iPod later in the game, but did they cost $1,000 when they first came out? I could see that at the given time and with no other options for carting your music library around, but I never paid that much for one and I owned 2 classics in my time with the fruit company.

 

[PereDroid]

I thought someone already was doing a premium music player?? Oh, that's right. Neil Young.
PonoMusic Store

#FailSony


@Jeffrey: I store all my music ON my phone. Screw the cloud.

 

[PereDroid]

Upon further review: Sony has NOT announced or even hinted at pricing.