Sony recently introduced the latest incarnation of its portable music player, the Walkman, and it is a far cry from the 1979 original. The ZX2 Walkman plays tunes at a higher resolution than CDs, MP3s and streaming files. The only downside to casual music lovers is that the device costs $1,120, CNN Tech reports.
"The new Walkman ZX2 is a great example of the quality of our high-res audio offerings," Sony Electronics executive Mike Fasulo said. "This Walkman is tailored for outstanding sound, and every piece of material and component has been crafted to realize the ultimate high-res audio experience on the move."
Features for the device include 128 GB of storage — about 2,000 songs — a micro SD card port, Wi-Fi capabilities and a 60-hour battery life. Oddly enough, it runs the Android platform Jelly Bean, which is a little outdated.
The ZX2 will be available in the spring. It comes at an opportune time for the company — Apple discontinued its flagship product, the iPod Classic, last year. Nearly two decades ago, Apple introduced the iPod to the world and it dethroned the Walkman as the most popular portable music device.
Sony put out the revolutionary cassette model, the TPS-L2 Walkman, in 1979. It modified it in the 1980s as CDs gained popularity and expanded the brand after the iPod with MP3 players and headphones.
Apple's iPod revolutionized the digital music era, but sales started to decline after the company introduced the iTouch and iPhone. The device's discontinuation was announced shortly after the company unveiled its iPhone 6 and Apple Watch in September.
Readers: What do you make of the situation? Do you think the asking price is too high for Sony to make a profit? Will people buy the new Walkman regardless with the discontinuation of the iPod Classic? Let us know what you think down in the comments section.
