Sony's Walkman Line Outsells iPod In Japan -- Say It Ain't So!

SanDisk themselves have publicly stated that no one can "out iPod the iPod," but evidently Sony did just that. According to a recent survey, Sony's own Walkman brand of digital media players outsold Apple's iconic iPod in Japan last week-- a feat that hasn't been accomplished in four years. Calling the victory "rare" would be understating things dramatically, but the numbers don't lie.


Sony's piece of the Japanese market for portable media players was at 43% during the last week in August, while Apple's market share stood at 42.1%. The figures were collected by BCN, a marketing research firm based in Tokyo, Japan. Needless to say the victory was ever so slight, though BCN noted that the Walkman lineup was benefitting from a recently expanded product line and lower overall prices.

Before you throw all praise in Sony's direction, you should probably know that it wasn't Sony's own doings that really put it ahead. The survey doesn't include Apple's iPhone as a member of the iPod line, and just so you know, the iPhone is selling extremely well in Japan. Apple themselves admitted that the traditional iPod was losing its luster these days, with the company's iPhone acting as the iPod of many consumers. So in the end, the report is actually a bit less stunning that it sounds, but still, we're going to give credit where it's due. Kudos Sony, now--will you claim the same award two weeks in a row?