Apple Grrl

Yesterday Apple reported the sale of its 100 millionth iPod. Today market analysts are predicting a continued upswing in the product’s sales and popularity. Apple isn’t known for tooting its own horn on anniversary dates and milestones, but the 100 million iPod mark got a mention. You can read one of the news articles about the 100 millionth sale here.

In fact, says Phil Leigh, president of market-research firm Inside Digital Media, making DRM-free tracks available at iTunes could actually help Apple by driving more music lovers away from peer-to-peer sites.

That’s why analysts like Leigh think Apple will be able to hold on to its dominant share of the music-player market—and perhaps even see a significant boost to the rest of its business. “This is going to be something more than just the doubling of [Apple’s] market share,” Leigh added. “I think it will go from 5 percent to 20 percent. It will have a much more significant affect than what Microsoft have let themselves believe.”

So what makes the iPod so incredibly popular? How did it crossover into the coveted arena of the “must have” item? It it most likely due to a combination of things. It was the first product offered by Apple that offered the Apple cachet and Apple look and feel that the “cool” technology users had always known about at a price point many people could afford. It has Apple’s traditional intuitive design. It has iTunes, which is a solid music and video purchasing interface in spite Apple’s initial reliance on DRM. The fact that Apple is now discarding DRM only makes the iPod / iTunes combo more appealing than ever before. iPod was, in short, the right gadget at the right time marketed to the right demographic.

Apple’s drive to constantly improve and innovate, striving to be on the cutting edge in all of its markets, will hep increase iPod sales as time goes. Their commitment to DRM free music, beginning with the recent EMI deal, will draw in even more customers. They are dealing with the potential issue of DRM free music opening them up to mp3 player competition by increasing the quality and bit rate of the DRM free music files you purchase form them. They continue to bring their A-game in a world that has been faced with substandard, “disposable” technology for too long. Their commitment to quality will continue to push them forward, especially if they continue to keep their customer service rating at the level of excellence they currently have.

Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved

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