The iPod can be called the de facto standard of mp3 players. Case in point: for many people that aren't familiar with the various manufacturers of mp3 players, any PMP they see they call it an iPod. Same case with Nintendo back when they dominated gaming consoles in the 80's and 90's. Everyone was saying they wanted a Nintendo for Christmas, or parents would refer to their child as "having a Nintendo," even if they actually bought a Sega Genesis for their kid. I have a Creative Zen Vision:M, and people that have never seen it before exclaim, "Wow! I've never seen an iPod like that!" To which I reply (between clenched teeth) "It's not an iPod."
Does Apple have a monopoly? I would say so. You find more accessories for iPod than any other players combined, don't you?
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The iPod can be called the de facto standard of mp3 players. Case in point: for many people that aren't familiar with the various manufacturers of mp3 players, any PMP they see they call it an iPod. Same case with Nintendo back when they dominated gaming consoles in the 80's and 90's. Everyone was saying they wanted a Nintendo for Christmas, or parents would refer to their child as "having a Nintendo," even if they actually bought a Sega Genesis for their kid. I have a Creative Zen Vision:M, and people that have never seen it before exclaim, "Wow! I've never seen an iPod like that!" To which I reply (between clenched teeth) "It's not an iPod." Does Apple have a monopoly? I would say so. You find more accessories for iPod than any other players combined, don't you?