• The 13 most popular phones in the UK during the 1980s - revealed!

  • 39 obsolete technologies that will baffle modern generations

Sony TPS-L2 (1979)

We’re starting where it all began, with the TPS-L2, the beauty that took its place as the world’s first widely available personal cassette player.

Sony WM-2 (1981)

The WM-2, very much a sequel that managed to shrink the size of the device down even further, and also modernised its design aesthetic quite considerably.

Sony WM-3 (1981)

If you were happy to have a slightly larger device in order to eke out better performance, this was the device for you.

Sony WM-DD (1982)

The WM-DD feels like it might be the culmination of Sony’s work on pure cassette players. A really classy Walkman from the golden age.

Sony WM-F5 (1983)

If Sony had nearly perfected cassette players then now was the time to add more features to sweeten the deal, and this device did so with the addition of radio.

Sony D-50 (1984)

Change is always around the corner, though, as demonstrated by the arrival of compact discs on the scene in 1984.

Sony WM-F107 (1986)

The WM-F107 struck a really interesting blow by bringing solar power to the table.

Sony WM-503 (1987)

The WM-503 was a high-end device, but nothing could stop the fact that cassettes were slowly but surely on the way out. 

Sony D-150 (1988)

As Sony started to make more and more CD players in the Walkman range, it got closer to the sort of model that became so recognisable in the 90s.

Sony D-321 (1993)

Fast forward a few years into the 90s and rounded edges were popular and the body of the Discman as small as it’s ever been.

Sony MZ-E50 (1996)

In the 1990s there was a big push by Sony and others towards Minidisc, but they never caught on.

Sony D-E01 (1999)

The D-E01 did to CDs what Sony had done to cassettes a decade before, by effectively being only a shade bigger than the thing it was playing in the first place.

Sony NW-E3 (2000)

In 2000, MP3s exploded onto the scene, promising huge collections of music that could be carried around without hassle and without taking up any space.

Sony D-NE10 (2003)

That’s not to say that CDs were disappearing though and the D-NE10 was as small as a portable CD player could really be.

Sony NW-E505 (2005)

In 2005 Sony’s NW-E505 arrived as a pill-like MP3 player which was a far cry from the original chunky Walkmans.

Sony NW-WM1ZM2 (2022)

Powered by Android 11 with a 5-inch touchscreen, this Walkman certainly shows how much Sony’s products have changed over the years.