Tuesday, October 12, 2004
iPod Now Accounts for 92% of Market for Hard Drive-based Music Players
Posted by James Fee in "NEWS" @ 05:30 PM
" Research company The NPD Group said in a report released Tuesday that various versions of the iPod accounted for 92.1 percent of the market for hard drive-based music players, up from 82.2 percent a year ago. Players from Creative Technology and Digital Networks North America's Rio were a distant second and third, with 3.7 percent and 3.2 percent of the market, respectively. NPD analyst Stephen Baker attributed the results to a strong launch for new fourth-generation versions of the iPod, which arrived on the market just at the right time to dominate back-to-school buying. "Back-to-school has turned out to be a very big season for music players," Baker said. "In my day, you had big speakers and a bunch of components you had to lug to your dorm room. Now it's a six-ounce device."
Competitors will have to contend with daunting brand recognition, however. In a recent survey of buying preferences among U.S. teenagers, analyst Jeff Klinefelter of Piper Jaffray found a strong preference for the iPod over competing products. Of the 600 teens surveyed, 16 percent already owned an iPod, and 24 percent planned to get one within the next year. Only 8 percent planned to acquire another brand of music player in that time."
To be honest, I'm quite surprised that the iPod has such a large market share. Where is iRiver? 8O
Competitors will have to contend with daunting brand recognition, however. In a recent survey of buying preferences among U.S. teenagers, analyst Jeff Klinefelter of Piper Jaffray found a strong preference for the iPod over competing products. Of the 600 teens surveyed, 16 percent already owned an iPod, and 24 percent planned to get one within the next year. Only 8 percent planned to acquire another brand of music player in that time."
To be honest, I'm quite surprised that the iPod has such a large market share. Where is iRiver? 8O
