Upgraded Inside Out

According to Sony's press release, the MD market in Japan entered a popular phase starting from '96, with projected sales reaching 5 million units by the end of '97, of which portable devices account for approximately 50%. Especially notable is the combination of MD and audio systems, estimated to reach 65% in quantity and 80% in value by the end of '99, further driving demand for portable devices.

The MZ-R50, with its conventional design language, divides the display and operational areas horizontally, presenting an overall upgrade from its predecessor, the MZ-R30.

Compared to Sharp's MD-MS701 and MS702 with their compact portable technology, Sony emphasizes thinness as a selling point. The introduction of the new LIP-8 lithium battery and the slimming down of optical components and docking station achieve a recorder thickness of just 19.7mm on average, a first and the thinnest of the year.

The innovative Stick Controller debuts by overturning traditional remote control concepts, featuring a cylindrical shape with a rotational axis at the front, allowing intuitive and efficient control with forward and reverse motions. This groundbreaking design not only establishes a new design classic but also profoundly influences future trends in remote control design. Sony also updates the remote control and headphone jack from the proprietary Micro Plug to the standard Mini Plug, offering users the flexibility to use any earphones.

Sony's signature Jog Dial shuttle wheel allows single-finger scrolling and pressing for efficient browsing, text input, editing, and more.

The new LIP-8 battery offers approximately 13-25% less battery life, but charging time is reduced by 60% to a full charge in just 3 hours.

Furthermore, Sony enhances the device with a 16Mbit DRAM, four times more than previous models, enabling 40 seconds of anti-shock memory.

Sony also introduces 24-bit ATRAC technology in this release, although they have kept this upgrade relatively low-key and almost unspoken.

PMD-R3