LONDON/TOKYO - Sony Corp. said Thursday it is launching a Walkman digital music player capable of storing far more songs than Apple Computer Inc.’s market-leading iPod, while also undercutting iPod’s price.The Japanese consumer electronics maker said the 20-gigabyte device, which is its second hard-disk drive gadget aimed at unseating Apple and can store 13,000 songs, will be launched on July 10 in Japan, by mid-August in the United States and in September in Europe.
Dubbed the Network Walkman NW-HD1, it marks a major upgrade to the legendary Walkman brand and the announcement comes on the 25th anniversary of the introduction of Sony’s groundbreaking portable music player -- July 1, 1979.
It is expected to sell for around 53,000 yen ($487) in Japan and less than $400 in the United States, Sony said, undercutting Apple’s 40-gigabyte device, which sells for $499 and can hold up to 10,000 ...