Sony's portable cassette players Walkman models (bottom) and portable MiniDisc players which were produced in 1980's and 1990's are displayed at Sony's history museum in Tokyo February 23, 2012. The biggest challenge facing Sony's incoming chief executive Kazuo Hirai will be how to bridge a divide in his consumer electronics company between the 'fundamentalists", engineers who want to return the company to its orginal ethos of making cool gadgets, and "new-agers" who see the future in content and connectivity. Picture taken February 23, 2012. To match Special Report SONY/ REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (JAPAN - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)

A Sony Hi-MD MZ-NH1 music player and a 1 gigabyte recordable minidisc are displayed during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 8, 2004. The new disc costs $7.00 can store 45 hours of music or other data. Old discs held only five hours of music. Prices range from $199.00 to $399.00 for the players. The MZ-NH1 includes a docking station and a remote.

A Sony Hi-MD MZ-NH1 music player and a 1 gigabyte recordable minidisc are displayed during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 8, 2004. The new disc costs $7.00 can store 45 hours of music or other data. Old discs held only five hours of music. Prices range from $199.00 to $399.00 for the players. The MZ-NH1 includes a docking station and a remote. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun PP04010023 SM

Sharp Corporation said February 7 it has developed "the world's smallest and thinnest" MD player MD-ST55, a 71mm x 12.9mm x 78mm, 92-gramme minidisc digital audio system. The MD-ST55 goes on sale in Japan February 21 for 30,000 yen (about $277), Sharp said.