Tin narcissism, and began to lament a rise in isolated individuals."
iconic Overseas
19 months after the Original Walkman, the second-gen Walkman was released, aka the WM-2. It went on sale in February 1981, for ¥32,000. The WM-2, unlike the original, was not based on a product that exists; because of this, it could be reimagined to meet their creative form. The engineers planned to reduce the size to fit a cassette case and improve the designs by transferring the controls from the side to the front.
The second-gen model was trendy overseas. It made the model very memorable for many worldwide, especially those living through that era. Around that time, the product gained traction with the younger generation and became fashionable to the wider society. Learning from the shortage of first-gen Walkman in the past, Sony made sure the WM-2 products would be spectacular. In November 1981, Nikkei reported the sales reached 1 million units in just 9 months. Compared with the first Walkman, which is 1.5 million units over its first two years.
With success, there will be competitions, like Toshiba and Aiwa, Matsushita Electric (which is now Panasonic) invested in similar devices. Regardless, the Walkman device dominated the market. In November 1981, Nikkei said in an article. "They've been forced to acknowledge the advantage of getting in first and the mystic power of the Sony brand among young people."
Of the 5.5 million Walkman units shipped at the end of October 1982, reportedly 60% were exported, showing how fast the product gained popularity abroad.
The demand for Walkman peaked around the end of 1983. However, Sony's release of the Discman portable CD player in 1984 and the MiniDisc Walkman in 1992 kept the company in the portable player market.
A Cassette Revival?
There has been a movement toward a renewed appreciation of cassette tapes in the last few years, just as with vinyl. Tokyo still has several businesses specializing in cassettes, like WM-2 models that can go for around ¥20,000–40,000 on marketplace apps like Yahoo Auctions and Mercari.
Several manufacturers have released new record players with USB ports and built-in Bluetooth, which compete in a niche but lively market. Used LPs continue to be popular. It is not unusual for top artists to release vinyl versions of their latest music.
The cassette Walkman revolutionized the portable music player 40 years ago. Still, revival is far-fetched.