An Icon Passes,...

Music's over for Sony Walkman

The iconic Walkman has come to the end of its run.

Sony has pulled the plug on the original portable cassette-tape player, Japanese media report.

The company made its last shipment of the cassette Walkmans to the Japanese market earlier this year -- and when they're gone from stores, they'll be finished.

Sony is outsourcing some manufacturing to a Chinese company for sales to people who still use obsolete cassette tapes.

Launched in 1979, the Walkman became a global hit and symbol of tech cool, with Sony selling roughly 220 million of the boxy devices.

Modern MP3 players like the iPod eventually trumped the Walkman and portable disc players -- despite Sony's effort to market a digital version of the 1980s staple.