Japanese technology manufacturer Sony has rolled out its two latest music players — the NW-ZX707 and the NW-A306 models — to attract new customers to its Walkman, which ruled the music industry in the 1980s and 90s.
“Both players are designed for listeners to enjoy music the way the artist intended with high-quality sound with a sleek design,” Sony said.
The Tokyo-based company, which launched its first cassette-based Walkman, the TPS-L2, in 1979, is credited with revolutionising the portable music market and changing the way people listen to music.
The National explores the new Walkman models and looks at their competition in today's market.
Nostalgia mixed with modern tech
Walkman is a portable audio player brand produced and sold by Sony since 1979. The company’s first Walkman was a portable cassette player that transitioned its presentation and technology over the years into CD, mini-disc, MP3s and eventually music streaming.
Sony sold about 200 million cassette-based Walkmans before retiring them in 2010. However, the total number for all devices under the Walkman brand is more than 400 million, according to different reports.
More juice to last more than a day
The new models come with a longer battery life compared to previous iterations to ensure listeners can immerse themselves in more music.
The NW-ZX707 has a battery life of up to 25 hours, while the NW-A306 has a battery life of up to 36 hours, the company said.
They come with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that can be fully charged in 3.5 hours from a computer using a USB cable.
Android 12 and Wi-Fi support
Both models are supported by the latest Android 12, Google-owned operating system and are compatible with Wi-Fi connectivity.
Android 12, which was launched in October 2021, allows users to access various music-playing apps available on the Google Play Store. Users can download music and stream from several services including YouTube and Spotify.
“This stylish and compact music player lets consumers download and stream more of the music they love,” Sony said.
Besides enjoying streaming services and music apps on the Walkman, users can also connect the device to their personal computers to gain access to their own music collection.
How big is the new model?
With a 3.6-inch display, the NW-A306 models weighs only 113 grams and comes with a 32GB memory. The NW-ZX707 has a 5-inch screen and weighs about 227 grams, offering an enhanced memory of 64GB.
How Apple’s iPods drove innovations in Sony’s Walkmans
Apple's iPod, a device that upended the music and electronics industries more than two decades ago, is no more, but it fuelled innovations in Sony’s Walkman at regular intervals.
In 2004, the Walkman entered the hard disk music player arena to compete with iPod. Starting from close to $400, the company unveiled a palm-sized device that could store up to 13,000 songs on 20GB.
At the 2011 Internationale Funkausstellung, Sony unveiled an Android-based Walkman to compete with the iPod Touch that allowed users to gain access to apps available on Apple’s App Store.
Called the Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player, the new gadget allowed customers to use various music apps through the Google Play Store.
Using high-definition multimedia interface technology, users could also play games and videos stored on the Walkman on any HDMI-equipped TV.
Similar to iPod Touch’s AirPlay technology, Sony introduced “throw” technology in 2011 that allowed the Walkman to find a local compatible device and stream content directly on them.
In May last year, Apple announced that it would discontinue the iPod Touch, the last remnant of a product line that first went on sale in October 2001.
Price and availability
NW-A306 will start from about $430, while the NW-ZX707 will cost $820, more than many smartphones on the market. Both products will be available in select markets in Asia and Europe.
The company expects the new products to add to its profitability. Its net income jumped by 24 per cent on a yearly basis to about $1.78 billion in the quarter that ended in September last year.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
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Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
More coverage from the Future Forum
Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
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