Since Apple introduced the iPod digital audio music player in December 2001 the demand for the device has been nothing short of astonishing, now coming into peak Christmas gift buying time company experts estimate that Apple will shift close to two and three quarter million copies of the highly coveted portable player next month alone.

Sales have climbed to 13.3million units up from the 9.5million mark a year ago and the Cupertino, California based company, despite being late to market currently boast close to a 80% share of the world market in hard disc drive based music players. Wall Street analyst Charles Wolf predicts that there will be 100 million iPod owners by the year 2008.

All kinds of companies are riding along on the crest of the wave too. Companies that provide the components, companies that sell after market accessories, add-ons and iPod clones. Major record labels, which at first failed to embrace the digital entertainment revolution are now aligning with legal digital music services with Apple’s iTunes currently sweeping ahead with a 70% market share of the paid download market.

Some of the major beneficiaries are makers of after market accessories like the iBoom ghettoblaster from Digital Lifestyle Outfitters. The enticing looking DLO iBoom is a 20-watt per channel, four-speaker boombox system with built-in digital FM radio. Users simply drop iPod or iPod mini into the iBoom dock, hit play and enjoy their music anytime and anywhere. The unit retails for $149.99.

Just as the black and beige look for the PC has become a running clique, anyone bored with the uniform white of the iPod can get a custom paint job on the unit at places like Minnesota based Colorware PC. And it seems the most interesting developments are happening away from Apple itself with a flourishing line of independent companies queing up to grab a share of the iPod boom. Online stores like Everything iPod will supply you with everything from a black jacket for the similar clad
U2 special edition iPod , a transmitter that’ll plug the iPod into your car stereo and an action jacket workout case that’ll attach the player to your arm.

If you have trouble keeping track of everything thats around, leading independent iPod resource website iPod Lounge introduced an 80 page “2004 iPod Buyers Guide” at the beginning of the month. Its available as a free PDF download on the iPodLounge site and is also being distributed via peer to peer file sharing networks.

Related Links

iPod Gains Ghettoblaster Accessory [the Register]
the Superstore For Your iPod [EverythingiPod.com]
iPod and Apple [MLAgazine.com]
iPod Killers for Christmas 2004 [MP3Newswire.net]
All Things iPod [iPodLounge.com]
iPod Custom Painting [ColorwarePC.com]
iPod Sales Hit 23.5million by 2006-Analyst [MacWorld.co.uk]
The iPod Economy [Forbes.com]
iPod Buyers Guide (44pg free PDF download) [OverMused.com]
Apple Release iPod [Slashdot.org 2001]

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