That time Sony made a MiniDisc laptop

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What happens when Sony merges a futuristic audio format into a chonker of a laptop? This thing.

Sources:
"ATI Muscles Back into 3D Mobile Market," Maximum PC, October 2001.
"The New Mobile 3D Warrior," Maximum PC, January 2002.
"Head2Head: Notebook Graphics," Maximum PC, September 2002.
"An MP3 Walkman...Finally!," HWM, April 2005.

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This Does Not Compute

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Minidisc remains the coolest format ever. I had a player, it felt like jacking into the future every time I put a disc in.

Kamunchu

MiniDisc was so stylish at the time and they still look so good!

calastyphus

Sony locking down their formats with proprietary BS is what killed many of their cool ideas.

braddl

Never have I clicked so fast on a video when I saw mini disc!
5:40 That is a nifty little thing that I wish manufacturers put on there notebook machines more, options for specific things like keypads, drives or IO ports, all with a single connection type that can be interchangeable.

jugstery

Oh how I wish minidisc PC drives existed more, I'd love to mess with them for that sweet tactile feel.

kobalt_ren

Love the minidisc format. Especially with current modern software allowing me to write music on it like putting files on a USB stick. Simply brilliant.

theshadowman

I used to subscribe to Sony’s PULSE magazine/catalogue and just loved looking at all the cool products they came out with including the VAIO computers.

I always wanted one of those cool sub-notebook size Memory Stick VAIOs. Years later I did get myself an 11” Apple MacBook Air so kind of half-lived out my dream 😂

lahmyaj

Prior to the advent of low cost GB+ SD cards and ssd's, Mini Disc was the top random read write removable storage tech out there.
As a big MD fan since the early 90s with a Sharp portable player in 93, stereo component md recorders 94+, and an mzr30 recorder since 98, was always amazed and frustrated that the MD wasn't used far more commonly for data storage, as a floppy and cdrw replacement, post 2000, especiallywith the higher capacity HiMD. Sony kept it back for themselves way too long

alexxbaudwhyn

Sonys biggest mistake was never to focus on making MD the next data storage format. Pure multi purpose, multi use file storage, like CD-R and CDRW.

folk.

I LOVED the "wild west" era mini-laptops. It was a cool race of who could make the most compelling but most expansive or most connectable device.

NeverlandSystemZor

Absolutely one of the most desirable laptops made but they werent cheap.
Sony made some gorgeous coloured laptops too, orange, green, crimson - beautiful vibrant colours too. Be nice to see you revirw those too.

Taketimeout

I just wish MD Data was a bigger format with a variety of drive options, so you could use it as storage medium for retro PC's, like they did in action films from the 90's like Goldeneye or The Matrix.

rBennich

You're absolutely right. Companies are not willing to take the risk in designing something different. Modern smartphones are a great example. Early smartphones manufacturers regularly tried unique form factors and features, but today, nearly all smartphones look the same.

Locutus

I love my MD so much. I was lucky to buy the last box of 100 disks sealed new-in-box blanks from a Sony store that closed. I already bought so much before that I have yet to open that box. :)

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