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Sony to wind up MiniDisc Walkman shipments
Sony plans to stop shipping portable MiniDisc Walkmans from September due to shrinking demand. With the electronics manufacturer pulling the plug on Walkman cassette players last year, the generational shift in products continues, says Nikkei.
MiniDisc cartridges contain an optical disc with a 6.4cm diameter, about half the size of a CD. Their compactness made them convenient to carry around. Sony added a MiniDisc version to its Walkman lineup of cassette and CD players in 1992. As of March it had sold roughly 22 million units.
But the attractiveness of MiniDisc Walkmans has diminished amid the growing popularity of Apple's iPod and other slim portable music players that use internal memories.
MiniDisc Walkmans will be available until store inventories are depleted. Sony will continue to make the MiniDiscs themselves, as well as stereos that can play back the audio discs. It will also keep producing CD Walkmans.
Story filed 25.07.11
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