News
Retrofit an old Walkman with an iPod
By Dennis Lloyd
Publisher, iLounge
Published: Thursday, July 1, 2004
News Category: iPod Accessories
Longing for those days of the Walkman, but don’t want to give up your iPod? A couple of do-it-yourselfers at retropod.com have come up with an offbeat solution - retrofitting an old Sony Sports Walkman to accomodate an iPod inside the cassette compartment. Think of it as retro iPod armor to conceal your precious during subway rides. Retropod sells the orginal Sony Sports Walkman for $100 and the retrofit kit for $20.
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1
Ha, you won’t get mugged, that’s for sure.
Posted by MeshKent on July 1, 2004 at 8:25 AM (PDT)
2
Damn it, you beat me to that comment.
I thought I’d be able to use a radio and a cd with this thing, guess not.
Posted by Earl on July 1, 2004 at 8:46 AM (PDT)
3
120 bucks is a bit much as far as cases go, but, it is pretty friggin’ sweet..
Posted by Acookster on July 1, 2004 at 11:05 AM (PDT)
4
Truly awesome, but you can’t use the remote with it - that sucks. If I was an urban poser, I’d buy one for sure.
Posted by SlutMonkey on July 1, 2004 at 11:30 AM (PDT)
5
Actually, the hundred bucks gets you the case all fitted up with the cushioning (yeah, I’m the Retropod guy.) Twenty bucks is for the retrofit kit if you already have a Walkman and aren’t scared of soldering irons.
Very true about the remote. Only way around that would be to carve a big,fat hole in the top of the Walkman case, which would kinda hurt the waterproofing!
On the plus side, you DO get the double headphone jack on some walkman cases, so you can start your own “yellowjacking” meme.
Posted by John on July 1, 2004 at 11:37 AM (PDT)
6
Dumbest idea ever.
What happened to, “I just had to buy a Mini Ipod because it’s so much smaller than the regular Ipod?”
More hipster retro-is-rad trash.
Posted by Knuckles on July 1, 2004 at 11:43 AM (PDT)
7
Things are getting confusing!
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=77820
Posted by Nagromme on July 1, 2004 at 11:50 AM (PDT)
8
Am I the only one here who thinks this is completely idiotic?
Posted by John Doe on July 1, 2004 at 12:09 PM (PDT)
9
I’d totally get one if I had the $100 to spend, or if finding the exact Walkman was an easy task.
Posted by narco in Burbank on July 1, 2004 at 12:10 PM (PDT)
10
Oh dear, seems like my idea has been taken!!
Linky
Posted by MadPict in UK on July 1, 2004 at 12:15 PM (PDT)
11
now if u could get the walkmand controls to work with the ipod that would add a bit of value
Posted by BIGP in Texas on July 1, 2004 at 12:24 PM (PDT)
12
Each to his own, but if someone wants to look like a total dork with this HUUUUGE thing attached to their belt, then so be it.
Posted by Z on July 1, 2004 at 12:30 PM (PDT)
13
Come to think of it, maybe Apple should have went this direction and just made the Ipods like this in the first place.
Uh, yeah… right.
Posted by Z on July 1, 2004 at 12:40 PM (PDT)
14
the generation two model fits inside a “retro” cheeseburger
Posted by asdfasdf on July 1, 2004 at 2:41 PM (PDT)
15
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3855745.stm
Posted by rt on July 1, 2004 at 2:45 PM (PDT)
16
Grrr…I actually tried this a year ago but I never thought to use the sports walkman case…my grandfather gave me a non-working WM-1 (first walkman issued in north america) and I had problems because the door was too small to get the ipod in and out.
:(
Posted by snm on July 1, 2004 at 6:05 PM (PDT)
17
can you say…frooty?
Posted by todd2fst4u on July 1, 2004 at 7:21 PM (PDT)
18
I think it is an interesting idea. If only to disguise your iPod so you could walk down the street and not worry about someone eyeing your precious… If you could finnd a way to operate the controls form the outside of the Walkman, then it would be perfect.
Posted by Trancedog73 in Knoxville, TN on July 1, 2004 at 7:25 PM (PDT)
19
am i the only one not afraid of people stealing my ipod? sometimes i wish someone would try to steal it so i can beat them down with a fury. dont get me wrong i dont flaunt it at all. on BART (bay area rapid transit) i keep it on my lap and only expose the remote. if anyone dares to rob me of my “precious” look for me and we can have it out.
Posted by Jaguares in Bay Area, Ca on July 1, 2004 at 9:10 PM (PDT)
20
This is such an stupid idea. Why would you want to spend $120 (including the kit) for a case that is bigger than the Ipod? The Walkman case is ugly and it’s yellow. I hope people are smart enough than to buy this product….
Posted by Alex on July 1, 2004 at 9:59 PM (PDT)
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