sony walkman cnn and amiga

[actung_bab]

was watching cnn this morning and mentioned about commodore and amiga and atari
a piece on sony stoping production on the humble sony walkman cassette machine

also mentioned about poloroid how stoped making those instant cameras and online
partion they changed there minds and starting making them again was intresting

shows the amiga and comodore brands still talked about

also goes to show how o talking your eye of the ball sony was market leader

know all ipod these days

[the_leander]

was watching cnn this morning and mentioned about commodore and amiga and atari
a piece on sony stoping production on the humble sony walkman cassette machine

Cassette based walkmans were still being made? I thought they'd stopped producing them years ago, they don't even make VCRs any more?

also goes to show how o talking your eye of the ball sony was market leader

know all ipod these days

If Sony's engineering department had given the legal and entertainment depts the thorough shoeing that they deserved, they likely would have kept the market with the minidisk. Unfortunately the software that came with the minidisk was dire beyond belief and couldn't be gotten around trivially.

Then the iPod and other hard drive based players came out and there went the market.

[tone007]

I recently picked up a Sony Minidisc player at a garage sale for $10 recently.  I think I overpaid.

[B00tDisk]

I recently picked up a Sony Minidisc player at a garage sale for $10 recently.  I think I overpaid.

an MD player for $10?  You didn't just overpay, you got ripped off.

[the_leander]

I recently picked up a Sony Minidisc player at a garage sale for $10 recently.  I think I overpaid.

Unless it was one of the Net HD minidisks (which could be used like a MO drive directly by the OS - no scumware necessary), B00tdisk is right.

--edit--

To quote Karlos on the Minidisk - Minidisk was the Alpha Romeo of music players - it was frustrating as hell to get the software to play ball, to set the thing up.

But on those occasions where it all came together, it was sublime.

[tone007]

..well, it records, too!

Yeah, I'm about ready to chuck it.

[B00tDisk]

I won my daughter a 4gb POS mp3 player in an arcade prize machine that works better than an MD player

[gertsy]

Yep, Sony stopped production in April and the last units have been distributed...  No more cassette mixes..  MP3s are sooo much easier...

[runequester]

I loved my walkman when I was a kid. I'd blast guns n roses and metallica whenever we had to go on a long car ride

[kedawa]

It's not quite discontinued yet apparently.  It's still going to be available in some markets, although it will be manufactured by a Chinese company going forward.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2371493,00.asp

I know a guy who still uses an old walkman all the time, powered by ten year old NiCad batteries that miraculously still work.

[mrmoonlight]

I won my daughter a 4gb POS mp3 player in an arcade prize machine that works better than an MD player

 Sorry but no mp3 or ipod sounds as good as a Sony minidisc player i have 10 fully working models that record ,and one even has a radio on it and a alarm in case you were to fall asleep on the train to work , now all we want is for someone to say that mp3,s are better than atrack  ,then i will go have a good chuckle ,Mini Disc the best sound ever by far .

[Ral-Clan]

Unless it was one of the Net HD minidisks (which could be used like a MO drive directly by the OS - no scumware necessary), B00tdisk is right.

--edit--

To quote Karlos on the Minidisk - Minidisk was the Alpha Romeo of music players - it was frustrating as hell to get the software to play ball, to set the thing up.

But on those occasions where it all came together, it was sublime.

True, Minidisc is/was awesome hardware.  Sony's software and DRM policy made it frustrating to use.  If what you got was a recording model (i.e. with a microphone-in jack) then I don't think you got ripped off.  That's an awesome price for a high quality portable digital recorder.  I've picked up several for less than $10 myself at Thrift stores and use them to record sounds, song ideas and family history.  I then dub them over to my computer.  Sound quality is excellent.  If you don't want it you could sell it to me!

The Minidisc is sort of like the Amiga as I see it.  Amazing hardware that was way ahead of its time (small, portable, digital recording and playback in 1991 with great quality hardware).  Like the Amiga, it could have become a mainstream platform but was not promoted properly by the parent company.  Like the Amiga, it still has a small die-hard following even today.

The one good thing about the Minidisc is that today no one wants 'em, so if you want a cheap portable high quality recorder and are willing to live with the restrictions then you can get one for peanuts (less than $10).

If anyone is going to chuck their Minidisc hardware - get in touch with me first!  I'll pay for shipping.  I'm also looking for a full-sized Minidisc deck (home stereo component) - I've never had one of those.

[Colani1200]

Sony stated that Walkman production in Gemany will continue at least till next year. But unfortunately the DD Quartz is long gone...