I couldn’t watch much of that video but what was the answer? I had no idea people were buying retro stuff like that. Is the size for style and lifestyle signaling like the way hipster types used to have type writers and fixie bikes?
Cassettes are definitely a hipster kind of thing, CDs aren't as they are pretty much the only way you can have music digitally without having it taken from you. Pretty much nobody that buys CDs actually plays them regularly, they just rip it at home and use that instead.
I’ve got a great cassette deck as part of my stereo so it sounds great. I definitely don’t listen to it on a Walkman though.
I’m a big fan of Sarah Harmer and her first band, the Saddletramps, only released two cassettes and they didn’t release CDs. That only happened with her next band. I think this is a common occurrence for bands of the 80s and 90s.
I grant you that this is a fringe obsession that most people wouldn’t care about.
And these products are merely fashion statement marketing reskins and there isn't enough money available to do that.
The engineering and manufacturing skill that went into producing Sony's smallest walkmen isn't particularly well reflected in the single design coming out of China right now.
It brings to mind Tom Hanks on SNL in the 90s as the Israeli shopkeeper saying his knockoff products all have 'Sony guts'.