
One of the very first
discmans available, a D121.

A
Philips portable CD player disassembled.

One of the latest portable cd players available, with MP3 and ATRAC capabilities.
A
portable CD player is a
portable audio player used to play
Compact Discs.
History
Portable Compact Disc Players were first introduced in the 1980s. Companies introduced
Electronic Skip Protection in 1993 to minimize audio skipping.
FeaturesThe basic features to a portable CD player are:
Some CD players also have anti-shake protection,
MP3 capabilities and
CD-R/
CD-RW capabilities.
Competition
Portable CD players have been predominant for years, and have boosted many electronic companies' success, namely
Sony's. But since
digital audio players were introduced, the popularity of CD players has decreased. CD players are still being made, but many newer players have
MP3,
WMA, and
CD-R capabilities to keep sales up. Thinness is also a big factor. Models are getting thinner and smaller with each revision. As adding more seconds of anti-skip memory is expensive, MP3 players are a preferred choice for environments where physical shock persists (e.g. off-road, jogging, etc.).
Despite the phaseout of portable CD players verses digital audio players, they have still remained profitable through the late 2000s.
See also
Category:Audio playersReference: http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Electronic_Skip_Protection_-_History/id/5017343
History/id/5017343http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/1-2/h1.html