[Dyaems]

crazy stuff going inside sony headquarters. thats for sure! i also read somewhere that sony japan is actually falling recently

 

[zenpunk]

I have learned not to believe everything I read on the web so I remain dubious about such report. But again, Sony seems to be making very awkward choices and decisions over the past few years that might explain their present predicament. 

 

[xszing]

"There has been no replacement for the Z series and there never will" er... That's the F... Would they be crazy enough to kill the walkman? Well, it's Sony! it would be a shame, I wouldn't have a way of sneering at sneering Apple fans...
 
As to the original question, I originally wanted an F but found a Z1060 for a price I couldn't say no to... The sound is nothing short of amazing, particularly with XBA4s or other decent headphones... It's also comfortable to surf the web. Strangely enough I also stumbled on an A844 for very little and that has become my more portable alternative.
 

 

[SoulSyde]

Quote:

I do not know what Sony is planning, and it is very difficult to get answers from them.
 
Here is where I read that the Walkman is being discontinued.  (SNIP)

 
Sorry to dig up an old thread but I had to comment on this post.  I call major BS on this ridiculous rumor.  Sony has definitely been exhibiting "growing pains" in the DAP market but it doesn't make any sense completely abandon the screen-based Walkman in favor of on-ear music players.  Eliminating an entire line due to a lack of market success would be like "throwing the baby out with the bathwater."  Maybe they abandon Android, maybe they go solely-Android, maybe they eliminate headphones entirely and transmit the audio waves through magical pixie dust that emanates from a tiny digital unicorn.  Who cares?  It's all rumor and innuendo.  
 
Why would Sony create a portable amp like the PHA-1 only to abandon it?  What about all of the IEM and on-ear headphones they make?  Would they be discontinued too?  Because it wouldn't make sense to manufacture portable headphones if your company's direction was an "all-in-one" solution.  Given the Walkman division is a small part of their electronics portfolio but none of this makes sense.
 
Not to mention that the first article you quoted only referenced the word "Walkman" once.  It's also old news, in reference to Sony eliminating the original Walkman from its product line.... Yes, the one that works with tape cassettes.
 
I'm only taking the time to reply to this thread because posts like yours are dangerous.  The internet is full of speculation and conjecture, let's be good Head-Fi'ers and rise above it.