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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."
The iPod has revolutionized music in the past few years because of its simplicity and style. It does one thing, it does it very well, and it looks damn good while doing it. The iPod photo kind of blurs those lines. Obviously, the iPod could become the next-gen portable media center: music, video, a Belkin iTV something-or-other. This gives us a glimmer of where they plan to go with this. iPod Movie Store?
It might not, also, but I'm leaving it up to somebody else to consider thinking of ways the iPod could change the way we even think about our personal photography and wallpapers and whatnot -- like the iPod changed the way many people listen to music (albums out, playlists and shuffle in).
I also want to know, where does this leave iPhoto? "Now, you too can organize your pictures...in iTunes! But you don't. You just download them there. You organize your pictures in iPhoto but you download them with iTunes, but you can also do it in iTunes if you want. Got it?"
Music, and the way that we deal with it, is such a rich site for interaction (music, audiobooks, speeches, recordings, class lectures, whatever) that it's hard to imagine where they could take photos.
Shut the fuck up, idiot.
clearly your point that FM radio and Voice recording come standard on other MP3 players is an affront to Apple. The highly protective elite fanboy guard have made sure that you've got your come-uppance with a flamebait mod. Take that unbeliever!
Starsucks
"Ignite an industry of support" ??? I am not sure if a lot of the mp3 players available in market today need much service due to breakdowns and all. Although I know that the 5.3 million iPods sold last year will indeed need 5.3 million new batteries in 18 months. I'm sure a lot of people will try to beat Apple's $99 battery replacement service with something cheaper and faster. Or may be bring in your dead iPod and get a brand spanking new SONY MP3 Walkman instead. Talk about rade-ins!
Mozilla stole tabs from NetCaptor. So what? Right?
It's the obsession of mac users that sells the iPods, and nothing else. The overpriced business is something they just don't get, or try to deny vehemently.
I even had a maccie telling me that an ipod is actually cheaper than the hard drives inside them. Yeah. Right.
Because Apple is in the business of selling products for a loss, just so Steve can go "look at everyone with my white earbuds?"
I don't think so. Denial is a sad state to be in.
"Apple announcing Wednesday they sold another 5.3 million iPods last quarter"
How many of these were replacements for units with dead batteries?
(I kid! I kid!)