Why the Walkman is dead (Or in a coma). Blog response to 'The Walkman Blog'.

With the recent release of the NGP my mate Ascariss at 'The Walkman Blog' wondered whether Sony would roll out the 'ultimate Walkman' having displayed they're capability to create an extraordinary product with the NGP. The simple fact is, Sony can bring out the ultimate Walkman, it is clear but whether they will is the question. And my opinion is, they won't for several reasons.

The Walkman fell for the iPod a decade ago, simply because Sony's transition into the digital world was slow. Apple were ultimately the only ones who saw the vast potential of the digital age, and Sony were slow to transfer and decided that they would stick with closed off proprietary devices, literally leaving the door to the MP3 crown open to Apple for the taking.
Now, here we are today, with the Apple owning approximately a 70 - 80 percent of the portable market share and are apparently now the largest company in the world in mobile devices (includes iPhones, Mac and iPad). The Walkman on the other hand has even lost a spot in second place.

It is unclear whether Sony have any desire to win back the MP3 market, though from recent efforts it is quite doubtful. But in my personal opinion and based on Sony's own personal vantage, I don't think the Walkman brand  for high-end gagdgets is worth retrieving.
Bringing the Walkman MP3 back from the dead would require an enormous (ENORMOUS) marketing budget, and also a solid improvement  in product design, feature set and of course a higher end Walkman to compete with the iPod Touch, and even this probably won't do it.

It's sad to see such an iconic brand like the Walkman disappear into the dust just like that, but for the sake of logical business sense, it's simply not worth picking up. With the iPod taking over like a stampede of bulls and the world turning to smartphones and the Playstation brand available for instant adoption, using the Walkman brand to produce high-end portable devices is no longer a reasonable option. 
Sadly, it's no longer cool to say 'I have a Walkman' anymore,
unfortunately appealing to social status is important when buying products. The Playstation Brand has considerably more value than the Walkman now and is also a provider of portable devices. Why would Sony choose to use the Walkman brand instead of the Playstation brand?

Many people (Walkman fans) will argue though that they still want an MP3 player with extended media capabilities, without dropping at the last stop with a smartphone. This type of product obviously won't be eligible for the Playstation branding. Walkman fans are always yelling out that they want the Android Walkman etc etc...however they must look at it from Sony's point of view. What is the point of rolling out a product that has limited potential in the market? The only ones who will really purchase a product likethis are Walkman fans, which let's face it, are a very small group of people. 
Everyone else will go for an iPod, and why not right? Everyone else has one, it's not like the Sony can be any better, it's not like an Android MP3 is any better.
And for the remaining who want the full deal, will again simply buy a smartphone.

This is why, I believe Sony is going to throw all their eggs into the Android smartphone, tablet and Playstation basket instead of re-entering (because they already tried with the Walkman X) a market where they ultimately cannot succeed in.

I know to all Walkman aficionados, this post sounds heartless and cruel, but it is the truth, I don't think we will ever see the Walkman brand as a high-end gadget any time soon, just as stand-alone MP3 players, to supply a slowly decreasing niche market. Perhaps one day, Sony can seize back the market, if there still is one for a device like the iPod Touch (given they all haven't switched to smartphones), marketing alone won't do it this time round, only something revolutionary will, the FLEX OLED era perhaps will be Sony's next shot.