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MP3 Market Approaching Critical Mass

An anonymous reader writes "Led by the Apple iPod, Jupiter Research says that sales of DAPs are reaching a point where it will ignite an industry of support products and services. According to Jupiter analyst David Card 'Historically, any new device or medium that reaches a U.S. household penetration of 15 percent to 20 percent creates a critical mass of customers for other products and services.' The iPod already has a slew of peripherals out there and this is particularly good news for the paid download services like iTunes, especially with Apple announcing Wednesday they sold another 5.3 million iPods last quarter."

13 of 339 comments (clear)

  1. CNet Reports Otherwise... by tquinlan · · Score: 2, Informative

    ...in this story that suggests that Apple's music dominance is not viewed as favourable by record labels. In fact, it mentions the labels' efforts to start working with wireless phone carriers to charge more for music via ring tones, which is "more in line with their economics".

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  2. Thats great and all...but where is the...? by HardSide · · Score: 2, Informative

    Now all we need is a report of how many of those iPods are sent back for faulty manafacturing and instability...

    I cringe everytime I see a person jogging down the street with their iPod on the side, listening to music. (If you didn't know the hard drive in the iPod if shaken/moved at an exact point when the HD spin, it can/will break the iPod and render it totally useless)

    1. Re:Thats great and all...but where is the...? by JavaElementOfStyle · · Score: 2, Informative

      I know someone who is currently on her 4th iPod because of this. Although, she has had each previous one replaced for free by Apple.

  3. Re:Not quite yet. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Watch out for this kind of casette adapters - don't get your hopes up expecting CD quality.

    I've bought one recently and I can tell you it generates immense amounts of noise in my car tape player. (tape plays ok btw) I only have a simple 2.5mm->adapter->casette player adapter; could be that this one works better, but still...

    You could enable dolby C or similar, but it kills a lot of high tones.

    Just not very enjoyable at all.

  4. Re:Well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Because Apple has always had the attitude that there's room for a peripheral market to coexist with their own market. They let the other companies fill the random niches that are created.

  5. "Mix, Burn, Rip" by argent · · Score: 2, Informative

    Do tell o' wise one, where may I see this promised land of the MP3 market?

    You make a 74 minute long playlist of DRMed AACs, WMAs, and RMs and save them to an audio CD. Then you click on "Import as MP3". Yeh, you lose a miniscule amount of audio quality that you MAY be able to hear if you listen to it, but when you're walking down the street or sitting on a train with earbuds connected to your MP3 player... you'll never notice it.

  6. I figured the same thing by Fahrvergnuugen · · Score: 1, Informative

    Wednesday Apple announced their second quarter results - net profit of .34 per share. And then then projected 3rd quarter net profit to be around .28 per share - the stock tanked over night. The iPod line represents 30% of apples revenue right now. I attribute the lowered projection to be based on Apple's feeling that for the first time, they're not going to sell more iPods next quarter than they did this quarter.

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  7. Re:Well by tartanblue · · Score: 2, Informative

    My Neuros does! http://www.neurosaudio.com/

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    TartanBlue
  8. Further indicators by amichalo · · Score: 2, Informative

    Using the Casette Tape and Compact Disc as previous examples, let's look at other indicators:

    - In car support for the media (3rd party manufacturers like Alpine are supporting iPod as well as luxury brands like BMW. GM is supporting all DAP's by making a front panel line in standard)

    - In home support for the media (Apple Airport Express allows for music streaming)

    - Portable support (just like the Walkman, we have the iPod)

    - As seen on TV (plenty of Movies and TV shows with characters using the devices like a recent Law & Order that opened with two teens discussing how many songs can fit on an iPod)

    - Major industry backing (from Microsoft to HP to Virgin Records, Digital Audio is supported by the Fortune 500 globally)

    - Small business using the format in their name (don't we all miss "Tower Records" records? Or "CD Warehouse"? I am sure there are plenty of Web properties with iPod in the name. "iPodlounge.com" comes to mind.

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  9. Re:No thanks for me.... by 2nd+Post! · · Score: 2, Informative

    What are you talking about?

    Apple's iPod has been able to play/hold non-compressed non lossy songs since day 1.

    Take your $20 discman and throw it into the trash
    Take your rack of CDs and import them as WAV, or if you want, lossless compressed ALE, into iTunes
    Plug in an iPod and you have your 'rack of CDs' in the palm of your hand.

  10. Re:You have no idea what you are talking about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    "...In no translation of the Bible and even in the non-canonical books (those are the one's that did not make it into the New Testament) does Jesus ever say that anyone should die. Jesus says that His Father will judge them but Jesus never calls for anyone to be killed...." Bullshit. Luke 19:27 "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." Also check Matthew 10:34, Luke 22:36 just for starters. I am so sick of people trotting out Jesus as some kind enlightened teacher. That, he ain't. Posting anonymously for that very reason.

  11. Re:WE GET THAT, OKAY? by Golias · · Score: 2, Informative

    I do understand, and I'm not responsible to fix anything to your satisfaction.

    Actually, you just made it abundantly clear that you don't understand.

    The RIAA is not a record label "cartel" at all. It's a trade guild, just as the anonymous coward who kicked this whole debate off pointed out, and "anti-piracy" activity, both legitimate and bullshit, is a very very small part of what they do.

    In any case, the RIAA has nothing whatsoever to do with the dispute between Apple Computer and the labels in question.

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  12. Re:Well by Dr.+GeneMachine · · Score: 2, Informative

    Here you go:
    A tape deck.

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