© Fabs/Unsplash
Remember, in our PasTech section, we came back to the eternal Sony Walkman, this small portable object allowing us to carry our favorite music in our pocket. A resolutely cult object, which will have crossed generations, even though the latter will be competed in the 90s by the Compact Disc format of course, but also other technologies, such as the MiniDisc. Invented by Sony in the late 1980s and marketed in 1992, the MiniDisc format was still relevant in 2025, but this will soon no longer be the case.
After rewritable Blu-Rays, it's the turn of the MiniDisc (and mini-cassettes)
Just a few days ago, Sony made it official that it was ending production of its Blu-Ray discs. Don't panic, though, as these aren't (yet?) pre-recorded Blu-Ray discs (the ones you buy in stores, with your favorite movies and series), but only rewritable models, i.e. those dedicated to data storage, which have never found their audience. Recently, LG announced the end of production of Blu-Ray players.
Still on Sony's side, even though the MiniDisc never really managed to compete with the cassette player, and even less with the emergence of MP3 players, the format has evolved over the years, notably with the launch in 2004 of high-density minidiscs, Hi-MD. But in 2011, Sony announced the end of production of its Walkman MiniDiscs.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000And even though certain formats are coming back into fashion, such as VHS in particular, but also vinyl or LaserDisc, the MiniDisc does not benefit from this same nostalgic wave. Probably because, like other formats of the 90s, the latter ultimately constituted a form of in-between, with real qualities compared to the K7 format, but also serious disadvantages compared to the CD on the one hand, and (especially) to the MP3 format which was then arriving en masse.
© Wikipedia
And besides Sony's decision to stop production of MiniDisc, the Japanese giant also confirmed the judgment of that of MiniDV cassettes. Video enthusiasts of the 90s will obviously remember this format which was very popular at the time, with these “mini-cassettes” that was inserted into camcorders to film (among other things) holidays. A habit that has been replaced for a few long years now (like many others) by our faithful smartphones.
And we won't have to wait long before these decisions are effective, since production will be stopped as of February 2025, in just a few days.
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