walkman turns 35 today

scottyboy76

Hard to remember how coveted this bugger was in the day.

Our local news lady said the 40 something dollar price tag would equate to over 400 today, not sure if thats accurate or not.

WilliamM2

I think I paid over $100 for my first one in 1980, it was by Sanyo. You inserted the cassette like a car player, and it had auto reverse. Used it for skiing mostly. It was rather bulky:

http://www.jackbergsales.com/electronics/SanyoM6060AutoReverseStereoCassettePortableWalkman.htm

westmassguy

They were a game changer for sure. Our first Walkman was a Sony, cost $100.00+, and was built like a tank. Sony made quality gear back then.

Msabot1

Heck...I still have an old Sony..yellow and put in a drawer and believe it or not,still works and with the right headphones,sounds not bad either...

cnh

I believe I'll be turning a lot older than that soon! lol

Remember buying a cheap one years after the first for maybe $50-60. And getting another one with two headphone jacks in NYC near 42nd street for my younger sister who was visiting me. I made the mistake of buying it from one of those questionable dealers who tried to sell me an EMPTY BOX. As I was moving toward the door I noticed that and opened the box, held it up and started making a scene in the store, yelling "Hey these guys just sold me an EMPTY BOX!", which I waved above my head to prove my point.

Well, I promptly received an apology and a brand new unit. Consumer beware!

Ah, NYC in the '80s! Such a "dark" time!

cnh

deronb1

I think i paid 169.00 for mine at the end of 1985. Still have it.

westmassguy

cnh wrote: »

I believe I'll be turning a lot older than that soon! lol

Remember buying a cheap one years after the first for maybe $50-60. And getting another one with two headphone jacks in NYC near 42nd street for my younger sister who was visiting me. I made the mistake of buying it from one of those questionable dealers who tried to sell me an EMPTY BOX. As I was moving toward the door I noticed that and opened the box, held it up and started making a scene in the store, yelling "Hey these guys just sold me an EMPTY BOX!", which I waved above my head to prove my point.

Well, I promptly received an apology and a brand new unit. Consumer beware!Ah, NYC in the '80s! Such a "dark" time!

cnh

Wow does that bring back memories. The worst, were on 5th ave, way overpriced, and all grey market. Total rip-off

Hermitism

You had to know anything tape-related I'd hang on to.

tonyb

You pull out a Weiner Whistle and I may have Cathy come over and slap you around. LOL...

Hermitism

I don't have a whistle, but tell her to come on over!

jflail2

I was talking to a young guy at work the other day about Spotify premium, and the fact that you can store 3k+ songs on your smart phone. My exact wording was "with 3k songs on here, this completely replaces your need for a walkman." To which the youngster replied "Walkman?"

One of those feeling old moments.