Duo-Man turns your 2026 iPhone Duo into a 1980s Sony Walkman

Before the iPod revolutionized portable music, the Sony Walkman reigned supreme for those seeking to bring their favorite tunes along wherever they went. Now, an app called Duo-Man is bringing back that nostalgic experience for Apple iPhone Duo users, even allowing them to stream music from Apple Music.

Before the Walkman era, options for listening to music while on the move were scarce. Most cassette players of the time were cumbersome and unwieldy. Sony solved this problem by condensing an audio recorder originally designed for journalists into a pocket-sized cassette player that quickly became an icon.

Developer Vidit Bhargava unveiled the Duo-Man app at a hackathon. Aware that attendees would be unfamiliar with the device, Bhargava brought along the real thing to demonstrate its appearance. The app allows users to open the Duo, select an album to insert a tape, and then close it to commence playback. Bhargava originally crafted the app as a lighthearted demo, but he plans to release it as a fully-fledged app.

The X social media platform offers a humorous tribute to the Walkman, featuring an image that resonates only with individuals of a certain age. The community is invited to share their first music player in the comments section.