Is Sony Walkman a dying breed too?

[markmp3guy]

I went to Sony's site today to look for a second player for me. To my surprise, they aren't even listing mp3 players on their storefront. They have a link to them on sony.com but if you go to store.sony.com you can find a link for everything but mp3 players. Oh, and if you dig around and look at what they offer it's pretty slim pickens compared to a year ago. I can buy what I want on amazon.com but this makes me a bit nervous. I've watched sony walkman come back from the dead twice. Zune is dead. They've pretty much announced this. Is Sony next?

[CrowdAds]

[Syndrome]

All MP3 players are a dying breed. Its all moving to Smart phones and the such. I think the only thing that even has a chance at surviving is products like the shuffle and clip.

[markmp3guy]

It's such a shame. If Cowon did a better job with their playlists and artwork they might have a chance of moving over into the smartphone arena. That's not going to happen anytime soon though.

[CDMP3PlayerFan]

I think Sony could stay in the stand-alone digital audio player (DAP) field by going after the same market as Sansa has with its Clip Zip and Fuze+ players. Despite the ability of other devices to function as digital audio players, I think there's still a place for a moderately priced dedicated DAP for several likely reasons (such battery life, physical controls, a UI designed for playing audio, the ability to keep your other devices free for other uses). It's a place that the Sony Walkman could be successful in.

[skip252]

Originally Posted by markmp3guy

I went to Sony's site today to look for a second player for me. To my surprise, they aren't even listing mp3 players on their storefront. They have a link to them on sony.com but if you go to store.sony.com you can find a link for everything but mp3 players. Oh, and if you dig around and look at what they offer it's pretty slim pickens compared to a year ago. I can buy what I want on amazon.com but this makes me a bit nervous. I've watched sony walkman come back from the dead twice. Zune is dead. They've pretty much announced this. Is Sony next?

I've no idea what Sony has in mind for they're players but there's no reason to be misleading. You make it sound as if there's no Sony DAPs available at Sony or as if there's no longer a way to access them from the Sony store. If you hit the Shop All link that's where they are.

BTW, they haven't "pretty much" announced the Zune is dead. They've been discontinued for quite a while now. http://www.winrumors.com/microsoft-c...-zune-players/

[FreeZ5]

Originally Posted by markmp3guy

I went to Sony's site today to look for a second player for me. To my surprise, they aren't even listing mp3 players on their storefront. They have a link to them on sony.com but if you go to store.sony.com you can find a link for everything but mp3 players. Oh, and if you dig around and look at what they offer it's pretty slim pickens compared to a year ago. I can buy what I want on amazon.com but this makes me a bit nervous. I've watched sony walkman come back from the dead twice. Zune is dead. They've pretty much announced this. Is Sony next?

http://store.sony.com/c/S_Walkman_Au...n_AudioPlayers

[kp-j3]

Holy cow. They're even still selling portable cd players.

[markmp3guy]

I know. Every once in awhile I'll see someone on public transportation with one of those ugly things hooked up to a full sized set of headphones. They look pretty silly to me.

[markmp3guy]

skip, you have to understand that when i shop online i look for sites that will pass the "mom test". I do this because my mum shops online frequently so I always shop with her in mind because she owns a sony and may need to go to their website someday. With that, I stand with my comment. You could find the mp3 players as I could but the majority of their players are gone. I think they have two lines of product that they are showing. That's it. Oh, and where are the accessories? Sony is going the way of the dinosaur.

[skip252]

Please don't try to pass off your misleading post under the guise of helping others. I help a fairly large group of people that aren't technically inclined with their purchases. I've found in doing that it's not a lack of intelligence that hinders their purchasing decisions. It's a lack of clear information as to what their choices are.

You posted this

Originally Posted by markmp3guy

They have a link to them on sony.com but if you go to store.sony.com you can find a link for everything but mp3 players.

and that's whats misleading. There is a link on the storefront that leads to the MP3 players. Your post makes it seem as if there's an entirely separate site that someone interested would have to find.

The E series player as it's presented now matches, and in some ways, exceeds my favorite player. My NWZ S639 can't do several of the things the current E series Sony can. Considering that their economy line has risen to the level of what was once their premium line I don't find it surprising they don't offer the variety they once did.

Sony seems to have made it clear through their lack of having decent capacity devices with updated features in the US market they don't believe they can turn a profit here. If they do decide to cut back their offerings I wouldn't be surprised. I just don't want misinformation from here to discourage anyone from getting a fairly decent device because it's being said here they're no longer available.

[The DarkSide]

I think I may need to purchase a new E Series Walkman now,...my S639 is getting a little long in the tooth.

Ok, enough, back on topic.

[mamamia88]

Originally Posted by skip252

Please don't try to pass off your misleading post under the guise of helping others. I help a fairly large group of people that aren't technically inclined with their purchases. I've found in doing that it's not a lack of intelligence that hinders their purchasing decisions. It's a lack of clear information as to what their choices are.

You posted this and that's whats misleading. There is a link on the storefront that leads to the MP3 players. Your post makes it seem as if there's an entirely separate site that someone interested would have to find.

The E series player as it's presented now matches, and in some ways, exceeds my favorite player. My NWZ S639 can't do several of the things the current E series Sony can. Considering that their economy line has risen to the level of what was once their premium line I don't find it surprising they don't offer the variety they once did.

Sony seems to have made it clear through their lack of having decent capacity devices with updated features in the US market they don't believe they can turn a profit here. If they do decide to cut back their offerings I wouldn't be surprised. I just don't want misinformation from here to discourage anyone from getting a fairly decent device because it's being said here they're no longer available.

So true I have a 16gb walkman e-475 and it's a really good player. Problem is i have about 2gb space left which is plenty of room for expansion right now but I have 2 rockbox players with 32gb cards. I much prefer sony though because i've had to return every sansa player i ever bought at least once for repairs. I wish they would bring that 64gb android one to the USA that would be amazing.

[The DarkSide]

Yup, a 64gb Sony WITHOUT the EU volume cap = EXCELLENCE!!!

[markmp3guy]

I'm not passing off misleading information. Even if you go to sony's website it's obvious that they are getting rid of their inventory. I believe they only show two different models now. Nothing else and no accessories. Sure, you can still find a lot of sony stuff on amazon but how long will that last for?

I mean, they are listing the F series and the E series and a couple of laughable accessories.

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/sto...8&N=4294946142

[mamamia88]

Originally Posted by markmp3guy

I'm not passing off misleading information. Even if you go to sony's website it's obvious that they are getting rid of their inventory. I believe they only show two different models now. Nothing else and no accessories. Sure, you can still find a lot of sony stuff on amazon but how long will that last for?

I mean, they are listing the F series and the E series and a couple of laughable accessories.

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/sto...8&N=4294946142

I find the evidence that it's declining that on amazon (the most popular online shopping site) the latest walkman e-series only has 20 reviews. The entire market is on the decline. Most people just don't have enough reason to carry around both. Heck if I wasn't so picky or listen to music pretty much all day I probably wouldn't bother. Also it doesn't help that I'm clumbsy and often forget my mp3 player is on my desk and I'm listening to it so when I get up it drops to the floor. I'd rather drop my walkman than drop a galaxy s3 or note or something.

[Big Sky]

They deserve to die and I hope they burn in Hell!!! Sony has played catch up for the past decade. Sony never listen to the fan base. Sony never gave us want we wanted though many sites supporters have plenty of post by supporters stating their demands.

There are those that want a good player without all the bells and whistles. Sadly, many are just using their phones to that purpose. These people are happy to have music without carrying two devices as has been previously mentioned; even though the quality of audio is mediocre at best.

Just as the Mini Disc died I see the same pattern. Sucks for you Sony for not pulling your head out of your asses.

[mamamia88]

Originally Posted by Big Sky

They deserve to die and I hope they burn in Hell!!! Sony has played catch up for the past decade. Sony never listen to the fan base. Sony never gave us want we wanted though many sites supporters have plenty of post by supporters stating their demands.

There are those that want a good player without all the bells and whistles. Sadly, many are just using their phones to that purpose. These people are happy to have music without carrying two devices as has been previously mentioned; even though the quality of audio is mediocre at best.

Just as the Mini Disc died I see the same pattern. Sucks for you Sony for not pulling your head out of your asses.

With how powerful phones are nowadays I'm sure you can find one with as good if not better sound quality than mp3 players. Unfortunately I didn't even consider that when researching my phone. Sony gave me almost exactly what I wanted with the e475. A well built player with physical controls and non convoluted ui which many players seem to fall prey too. It would be nice if it had a card slot though. Down to 2gb free.

[The DarkSide]

Smartphones have equal sq to MP3 players nowadays. Saying otherwise just means you haven't done enough research or tried one out for yourself. I just like to have my player separate for listening at home or while traveling where I'm not going to be using phone. Besides, the new Sony phones are said to sound as good as their stand alone players,...

[Big Sky]

Originally Posted by mamamia88

With how powerful phones are nowadays I'm sure you can find one with as good if not better sound quality than mp3 players. Unfortunately I didn't even consider that when researching my phone. Sony gave me almost exactly what I wanted with the e475. A well built player with physical controls and non convoluted ui which many players seem to fall prey too. It would be nice if it had a card slot though. Down to 2gb free.

I have yet to find one. I will admit that most phones out there now are as good as most Mp3 players and maybe better. Sony, Cowan players were head and shoulders above all other wanna be Mp3 players as far as sound was concerned. Mostly they were Media players with a strong emphasis on sound/Mp3. There are some that listen to music for long hours and a MMP/DAP better serves that purpose. The other hand Phones capable of playing music have shorter battery life especially and iXxx or an Android phone and you don't want to be without phone service because you wanted to listen to music, nor be tied to a charger whether a car or wall outlet.

[mamamia88]

Originally Posted by Big Sky

I have yet to find one. I will admit that most phones out there now are as good as most Mp3 players and maybe better. Sony, Cowan players were head and shoulders above all other wanna be Mp3 players as far as sound was concerned. Mostly they were Media players with a strong emphasis on sound/Mp3. There are some that listen to music for long hours and a MMP/DAP better serves that purpose. The other hand Phones capable of playing music have shorter battery life especially and iXxx or an Android phone and you don't want to be without phone service because you wanted to listen to music, nor be tied to a charger whether a car or wall outlet.

Yes that is one of the reasons I still use a dedicated player. Constant usage drains the battery so quickly. If I leave the house at 9am and don't come home to 1am I would really like still have some juice left. True story did that last year and managed to lose my wallet. Cell phone died right after I got off the phone with the credit card company. I have other reasons like not even having to change my focus when switching tracks or not having to be worried about someone taking advantage and doing a grab and dash of my phone right out of my hand. With smartphones being so expensive off contract it can get really lucrative to steal them and sell on ebay. It's much harder to steal my phone and run off if it's in my pocket.