Walkman (Temporarily) Outsells iPod (In Japan)

Remember the Walkman? Evidently, Japan does, because Sony’s digital music player has outsold Apple’s iPod there for the first time in more than four years, according to research outfit BCN.

Sony’s (SNE) share of the market for digital music players in Japan rose to 47.8 percent during August, surpassing the 44 percent captured by Apple (AAPL). “This is the first time that the Walkman outsold the iPod in monthly sales [since Apple launched the device],” said BCN analyst Eiji Mori.

Sadly for Sony this victory will likely be a short-lived one. With the latest iPod refresh now official, consumers who postponed their purchases in anticipation of new Apple hardware will help the company dethrone Sony once again.