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Timekeepers rethink leap seconds; Sony's $5,900 gold Walkman

Sony's three new Walkman players start at one thousand eight hundred ninety-nine dollars and the NW-WM1AM3 costs two thousand nine hundred ninety-nine; the gold shell is extra.

On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on BBN This Morning
Published 6:43 AM ET, Friday, October 16, 2026
Updated 8:25 AM ET · aired 3 times

Photo: Wikisympathisant · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Walkman — Photo: Wikisympathisant · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

First reported by The Verge: “Sony made a $5,900 gold-plated Walkman MP3 player”, with reporting from Nature.
Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 6:43 AM ET on BBN This Morning, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield; aired 3 times.

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The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

What BBN said about it

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentSony just announced three new Walkman players, and the top one, the NW-WM1ZM3, costs five thousand eight hundred ninety-nine dollars because it has a gold-plated shell.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentA gold Walkman! It plays music, it's shiny, and I need to hold it.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe cheaper WM1AM3 is nearly identical and costs two thousand nine hundred ninety-nine dollars, so the gold shell is roughly twenty-nine hundred dollars of paint job.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentPlated.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentMeanwhile, the world's timekeepers are changing how they adjust the clock to avoid a negative second, and I respect that they're guarding every last one.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentI'd buy the gold one if I had a second.

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