A História Ilustrada do Walkman da SONY - série Sports - ep.8 - 1988: WM-AF58

 

1988 WM-AF58: The Sports Walkman With a Clock Brain

The WM-AF58 shows the Sports identity starting to blur. It kept the yellow look and a radio, but it lacked waterproofing and serious shock protection. Its standout feature was a solar-powered alarm clock module, a parts swap that feels more like internal reuse than athletic purpose. It reads like a standard late-80s Walkman dressed in Sports colors to keep the lineup consistent.

A História Ilustrada do Walkman da SONY - série Sports - ep.7 - 1986: WM-F45

 

1986 WM-F45: The No-Frills Radio Sports Walkman

The WM-F45 prioritized reliability over features. It paired an AM/FM radio with a basic cassette mechanism and dropped Dolby, auto-reverse, and other refinements. Built on the same platform as the WM-F35, it shows Sony’s habit of spinning multiple variants from one core design. Its appeal was simple: a tough yellow Walkman that kept music and radio going.

A História Ilustrada do Walkman da SONY - série Sports - ep.6 - 1986: WM-F107

 

1986 WM-F107: The Solar Walkman

The WM-F107 used the Sports Walkman as a technology demo. It paired a sealed body with a large solar panel and an internal rechargeable battery, using sunlight to power the radio and recharge the pack. Solar did not run the tape transport directly, but the system worked as intended. Despite its size, it still carried auto-reverse, Dolby B, metal tape support, and an AM/FM radio, with much of the circuitry packed into the cassette door. Expensive and complex, it was never repeated.