SONY CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF SOUNDABOUT
By Adnews Staff
Toronto-based Sony of Canada Ltd. is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Walkman personal stereo with the launch of a limited edition anniversary Walkman. Originally launched in 1979 in Canada and the U.S. as the "Soundabout", the Walkman gave users the ability to listen to music anywhere. The concept for the pocket-sized personal stereo came from Sony's founder and chief advisor, the late Masaru Ibuka, and founder and honorary chairman, the late Akio Morita. In international markets the Walkman was introduced as "Stowaway" in England and "Freestyle" in Australia before it was officially named Walkman worldwide. In celebration of the anniversary, Sony is introducing a WM-EX20 Walkman model with a thin, stainless steel body, metal finished headphones, an LCD remote control, high-speed search and long battery life. The limited edition Walkman is available at selected authorized Sony retailers across Canada and at The Sony Store/Maison Sony. Sony's 20th anniversary Walkman is being supported by a media relations campaign from Cohn & Wolfe of Toronto.