The Hidden Origin of the 1981 Walkman II

Sony WM-2: The Walkman Reinvented

When we last explored Sony’s TPS-L2 Walkman, we saw how a simple portable cassette player sparked a global phenomenon in 1979. Just 19 months later, Sony followed up with a sleeker, smarter sequel: the Walkman II. But what most people don’t realize is that its iconic vertical layout wasn’t new. It was based on a forgotten prototype Sony built in 1978, back when the Walkman didn’t even have a name.

The WM-2 was a complete redesign that showed the Walkman was more than a one-time hit. It refined everything the original started and set the standard for what a Walkman would be throughout the rest of the decade.