As of late, Vaughn Lowery of 360 MAGAZINE had the opportunity to have a few questions answered by the designer of the Sony Walkman, Hiroaki Sato. Prior to this conversation, he was the proud owner of the Sony Walkman and Sony KP-65WV700 65″ widescreen HDTV-ready projection TV.
At present, he is examining the most user-friendly wireless earphone options on the market, specifically the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Noise Canceling Overhead Headphones.
Who came up with the theme of the Sony Walkman Summer House?
The overall theme of the week was Summer House. We wanted to encapsulate the feeling of summer memories fueled by your favorite playlist. This was a collaborative effort between our marketing communications and community marketing teams.
What does this anniversary mean to you as a designer of the Walkman?
Since 1979, Sony has curated a culture of personalized listening experiences with high sound quality wherever you go and continue to do so to this day. The device for storing music has evolved from cassette tapes to today’s semiconductor memory, but the enjoyment of listening to music has not changed.
We want to continue to make the “Walkman” a pleasure for our customers, and the last 45 years shows our commitment to continuing to evolve the personal audio experience.
NM-WM1ZM2 Walkman® DAP Music Player is a beautiful gold model retailing at around $3800? Who’s idea was it to curate such an item? Why? Or feel free to elaborate.
NW-WM1ZM2 was not the result of a single person’s idea but was developed considering various factors. It is part of the Signature Series and was created with music lovers, especially those who demand high sound quality. Music lovers tend to be particular about the personal music equipment they listen to, especially with headphones, and seek the most premium products. They want to listen to the music of their favorite artists through headphones and look for sound quality of music equipment that immerses them in the excitement and heat of a live performance in the most authentic way.
Sony has condensed its audio technologies to offer the Signature Series, which can create the ultimate personal music listening experience. We believe that this product helps the creator deliver their music in the most authentic way possible to the listener.
Today’s version of the legendary Sony Walkman, what makes it so unique or a standout product in the market segment?
This Walkman is a music playback device that pursues high sound quality and has evolved to help creators deliver the way it was intended to be heard.
Why do you think the Sony Walkman has played such an intricate role in pop culture? Hip-hop?
Walkman is made with a sincere interest in music. We are very happy to see that Walkman has played an intricate role in pop culture and allowed music lovers to enjoy various genres of music.
Is there anything we haven’t already spoken to or about that you wish to speak about? Community involvement? Upcoming initiatives?
Almost a year ago to date we launched our “For The Music” platform, aiming to be the brand of choice for music lovers, from creators to listeners. By developing a variety of audio products, not limited to Walkman, but also including equipment for professionals, Sony will provide music experiences that bring Kando and Ashin (Kando means emotion and Anshin has various meanings such as peace of mind, reassurance, reliability and trust).
The Walkman is still loved by people all over the world 45 years after its birth, and I am very happy and honored as the designer of the Walkman to receive this kind of attention. I want to continue to create the best personal audio music player that can help the creator of a piece of music deliver his or her thoughts to the listener as faithfully as possible. By doing so, I believe we can continue to impact the music community.
