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New Sony MP3 Walkman players launched

DUBAI — Sony Gulf yesterday announced the introduction of the new range of Sony MP3 Walkman players in the Middle East markets. This range includes the Network Walkman NW-E500 series, a flash memory-based player, and the 20GB hard disk digital music player, the MP3 Walkman NW-HD5.

"Sony invented personal audio listening with the introduction of the Walkman in 1979 and created a whole new market and a completely new lifestyle which was followed by the CD Walkman and MD Walkman formats that ushered in the digital revolution", commented Mr. Masaru Tamagawa, managing director, Sony Gulf FZE.

It is estimated that by 2007, the number of units of flash and hard disk based portable digital music players will be over 100 million units. The number of units in the Middle East is expected to more than double by the end of 2005 from 2004. Currently in the Middle East there about 130,000 units are owned of which 80,000 or about 62 per cent are in the UAE.

In Japan, the new line of Sony Network Walkmans allowed Sony to overtake Apple's iPod as the market leader with a 20.7 per cent market share. Sony expects a similar response to its new products in the Middle East, hoping to grasp 25 per cent of the local market.