Walkman Outsells iPod in Japan–Sort Of
by John Paczkowski
Posted on September 3, 2009 at 11:07 AM PT
Sony’s Walkman outsold Apple’s iPod in Japan for the first time in more than four years last week, according to a report from research outfit BCN.
The Japanese company’s share of the portable music player market rose to 43 percent, surpassing Apple’s 42.1 percent and ending the iPod’s 241-week run as Japan’s top portable media player.
A noteworthy victory for the Japanese electronics giant, but one that says more about just how far the once great company has fallen than anything else. That it took Sony (SNE) this long to unseat Apple (AAPL) in its home market is astonishing–all the more so given the vast success of the Walkman and the mindshare it once commanded.
And one could argue that Sony hasn’t actually beaten Apple at all. BCN’s survey didn’t include the iPhone because it views that device as a phone. But obviously, it’s an iPod as well–BCN notes that the handset has clearly cannibalized iPod sales. Had BCN classified the iPhone as the media player that it is, Apple would almost certainly have maintained its lead over Sony in the Japanese market.
