In Japan, the Sony Walkman® MP3 player has begun selling more units than the I-pod®.
Consumers in Japan feel that the sound quality of the Walkman is superior to that of the I-pod.
Also, the Walkman‘s headphones are more comfortable and offer better sound.
Many people feel that the software to upload files to the Walkman is easier to use than the I-pod‘s software.
And finally, the battery in the Walkman charges faster and the charge lasts much longer than the battery in the I-pod.
I have a Sony Walkman® MP3 player and so does my oldest daughter. My younger two daughters have the I-pod® players.
And I agree with all of the points above. The Walkman is better!
(Also, I know many people think that the I-pod looks cool…but I like the design of the Walkman MP-3 player better. The I-pod looks weak, but the Walkman looks tough, in my opinion.)
Sony Walkman MP3 players
Apple I-pod MP3 players
Which do you have? Walkman or I-pod? Why did you choose that one?
Have you tried both? Which is better, in your opinion?
(By the way, on this subject, I wrote a post last July about an English boy who traded his I-pod to try out an “old-school” 1979 style Walkman. Click here to see it).
Tokyo Five 
When I listen to midi versions of daft punk songs, that means I’m about to lose my mind
LikeLike
Not sure I understand what you’re saying.
LikeLike
The walkman is most popular than Ipod .I am agree your statement.
LikeLike
Actually, when I wrote this post the Sony Walkman was outselling the I-pod in Japan. But I-Pod began selling a new model that can record video…and now the I-pod has resumed being more popular than the Walkman in Japan.
That said, I still prefer the Walkman.
LikeLike
Review SONY 32T550!!! LCD TV model with a FM radio.
LikeLike
That’s a television that plays radio…not a Walkman that plays TV and radio (as well as MP3s).
LikeLike
It seems that the new I-pod has FM radio and a video camera…and is now selling more units than the Sony Walkman in Japan again.
LikeLike
Living in Australia, the iPod is marketed much more, so perhaps I’ve just fallen for better marketing in preferring the iPod. I have used an English version of the Walkman, they seem very troublesome. However, i got the opportunity to have a go at my Japanese friend’s Japanese Sony Walkman, which comes with the TV access, and I can definetly see why its more popular in Japan, it is what i would pick!
LikeLike
Is the English Walkman different from the Japanese one?
LikeLike
Um I’m not too experienced with walkmans, all I know is my friend’s had the ability to watch live TV on his Walkman. That sort of thing doesn’t exist in Australia (yet)…
LikeLike
I don’t have the fanciest Walkman…mine plays the radio, but not TV.
Although my daughter’s cell-phone can play TV and YouTube.
LikeLike
Don’t they sell the Walkman in America?
Actually when we visited Florida in 2004, I looked around in an electronics store…everything looked so “old-fashioned” compared what’s available in Tokyo!
LikeLike
I do not recall seeing or hearing of the Walkman mp3 player in the US. The market here is still dominated by Apple.
LikeLike
Sony is Japanese, Ipod is American. By supporting Sony, reduce foreign debt or something. I might be talking gibberish here.
But Sony quality is awesome. This may sound quite wild but when I went on a pirate ship ride that went 360, I forgot to take out my wallet and mp3 player so they fell out when gravity decided to pull em out. So my mp3 player fell down 6metres onto concrete, and was still functioning properly,despite a few dents on it. http://www.sony.co.uk/product/nws-e-series/nw-e015f was that model.
LikeLike
I have never dropped mine. (And maybe an I-pod would survive the same fall, too. 😉 )
All I know is that I personally think that Sony makes excellent electronics.
But, I’m not 100% dedicated to Sony only.
My cam-corder is also Sony…but my TV and computer are made by Toshiba, my cell-phone is a “DoCoMo” made by Sharp, my digital camera is a Fujifilm…etc.
LikeLike
I have a 120 gig Ipod classic, and I like it very much. The Sony walkman’s memory size is much too small, and the price is too high. 52,800 yen for only 32 gigs no thank you. My 120 gig classic is only 29,800 yen. That’s almost half the price for four times the space (and yes I do need it, I have almost 70 gigs full right now).
LikeLike
When I compared the Walkman and the I-pod, the price difference wasn’t as great as you described…at least at the shop I went to.
LikeLike
Those prices are from the official websites. Yamada Denki’s site had the 32g walkman at 49,800円, and the 120g iPod 29,800円. Still quite expensive. What size of walkman do you have?
LikeLike
Mine’s only 2GB.
It’s all I need. I don’t listen to music as much as I did when I was younger.
When I compared the 2GB Walkman to the 2GB I-pod, the prices were about the same…and the 2GB Walkman has a screen display and can play movie files.
The 2GB I-pod didn’t have a screen at all.
But my two of my daughters have the I-pod “Nano” with alot more memory (and the screen, games, etc).
Even compared to the I-pod “Nano” with more memory, I think even the 2GB Walkman is better.
That’s probably why it’s more expensive!
LikeLike
I have the iTouch, but it’s showing some minor problems just after 3.5 months of use. I’m guessing it’s a problem with the software. Nothing major, I just need to furiously press the only button several times before I go back to the main screen.
I’ve never owned the Sony Walkman. Considered buying it though. It doesn’t have games, does it? 😛
LikeLike
>I just need to furiously press the only button several times before I go back to the main screen.
Yes, my daughter’s I-pod does that too.
Another reason I like the Walkman better.
>I’ve never owned the Sony Walkman. Considered buying it though. It doesn’t have games, does it?
No. No games. And the I-pod can hold a wider variety of files…but, as for me, when I compare the pros and cons of both, the Walkman is better. (And it seems most shoppers in Japan agree with me…because, as I wrote above, the Walkman is outselling the I-pod here.)
LikeLike
Hi, tokyo5!
I have iPod Nano 2G now and used Creative Zen Micro before. So, yeah, iPod have a cool design but its functionality really sucks if compare to Creative Zen Micro I had. Now I’m looking for a new player because I want to have a voice recorder and FM radio but not only MP3 playback. And SONY (I respect this brand very much!) maybe will be my next player. So, could you tell me, are Sony players reliable enough?
Thanks in advance!
P.S. I live in Russia, here we can get a lot of different players: iPod, Sony, Archos, iRiver, Transcend, Cowon… But still I think I will buy it on-line (eBay or something)… Or maybe it’s better to buy one in Japan (I’m planning to visit this country of my dream:))? More models, lower prices?
LikeLike
>are Sony players reliable enough?
I haven’t had any problems with mine.
>Or maybe it’s better to buy one in Japan (I’m planning to visit this country of my dream:))? More models, lower prices?
There are many, many electronics in Tokyo…and the prices are fair.
But I don’t know how the selection or prices are in other countries…so I couldn’t say if it’s better here or not.
LikeLike
Does Sony have a music site like Apple’s itunes? Where do people who have the Walkman get most of their songs?
I wonder if this new Walkman will be coming to the US. The ipod is pretty dominant in the United States.
LikeLike
>Does Sony have a music site like Apple’s itunes?
Yes. The “Sony Connect” store.
>Where do people who have the Walkman get most of their songs?
Alot of people in Japan, including me, simply rent a music CD for ¥100 -¥200 (US$1 -$2) and copy them.
I have never bought anything online.
>I wonder if this new Walkman will be coming to the US.
Don’t they already sell it there?
It’s been available here for years now.
>The ipod is pretty dominant in the United States.
Yes, Americans have different tastes than Japanese.
The I-phone is popular in America, isn’t it? It’s not popular in Japan at all.
LikeLike
Not a big fan of the iPod. Ive always wanted to get a Sony Walkman but in the end I got a Creative Zen. Based on my husband’s intensive research of all the mp3 brands from magazines and gadget websites he reckons Creative is much better ^_^ and the wife can’t complain if its her birthday present, can she?
LikeLike
I’ve never heard of “Creative Zen” either.
LikeLike
Its an old model but im proud of it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_ZEN#ZEN_Micro .. over here there many types of mp3s sold ..whether its Japanese made Korean made or China made .. ive got a tiny one which uses an SD card for extra memory.
LikeLike
I have never heard of any Korean or Chinese electronics companies.
LikeLike
I’ve never used any of Sony’s MP3 players but I have tried an I-pod. But I actually have a Microsoft Zune… which sucks if I’m being honest but now I’m stuck with it haha. It doesn’t have Japanese language support which is a total pain since I listen to a lot of Japanese music…
LikeLike
I never heard of Microsoft Zune.
LikeLike
That’s because it is not very good.
LikeLike
I saw of photo of it online just now.
It kinda looks like an I-pod.
LikeLike
I have an Apple iPod Touch and a very old Samsung MP3 player, but not a Sony Walkman.
I do use the iTunes software all the time to load video podcasts (free!) on my iTouch and think it is quite easy to use.
LikeLike
I have used both the Ipod and Walkman…Sony’s software is better, in my opinion.
LikeLike