Such is the ferver and anticipation of the (still as yet unconfirmed by Apple) soon come Apple Flash-memory based audio portable, that impatient Mac addicts have taken it upon themselves to come up with a slew of predictive dummy prototypes of the much rumoured ‘iPod Flash.’
The best examples of which you’ll find at the independent iPod user site iPod Lounge and Isamu Sanada’s accomplished Japanese Applele Mac fansite . One thing that is certain is that Apple’s ‘inevitable’ arrival into the smaller capacity portable market will undoubtedly have the same effect on the Flash player arena that it did on the hard disk drive player marketplace when the iPod was introduced in late 2001. This will quite possibly have the effect of putting a rocket under the profile of some of the (hundreds) of manufacturers in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. A report by market research specialists IDC in September predicted that the worldwide market for MP3 players would hit $58 billion by 2008.
The report predicted that the biggest growth in MP3 players should come from portable flash players. The volume of flash players shipped will jump to 50 million units in 2008, up from 12.5 million in 2003. The competitive global MP3 player market is expected to more than double this year to 15.4 million units from last year’s 7.5 million units.
There is estimated to be over 400 MP3 manufacturers in mainland China and 2003 saw up to 4.5 million units shipped, half of which were for export markets . Export figures are projected to reach 6 million by the end of 2004. Recent statistics by the China Center for Information Industry Development show that 1.77 million MP3 players were sold in the country last year, a 235.8 percent growth compared with the previous year. It predicts that for this year, China will have domestic sales of over 4 million players, a projected 200 percent increase. In other studies, Taiwan based AT Chip Corp, a major designer of MP3 chips projects annual shipments of MP3 players in the Chinese mainland will reach 20 million units next year, and 50 million units in 2007.
The dramatic growth of the Chinese mainland’s MP3 player market has also been fuelled by the increasing penetration of broadband Internet, which accommodates faster downloads. The average price of an MP3 player fell from 1,100 yuan (US$133) last year to 700 yuan (US$84) in the first half of this year, indicates Beijing-based data tracking firm CCW Research. AT Chip Corp’s Micheal Chang told China Daily that more dramatic price drops are expected, given decreasing costs of chips, which will boost the MP3 player market. AT Chips unveiled a new semiconductor for MP3 players last month that the firm claim is the least expensive chip of its kind in the industry at much less than $5. “When the cost of a chip is lower than US$5, the MP3 player market will undergo snowballing growth,” said Chang.
The possibility of a Flash-based iPod surfaced in October this year, when Thomas Weisel analyst Jason Pfaum claimed, citing “numerous” Asian sources, that Apple will use MP3 chip maker SigmaTel’s controller chip in an upcoming music player.
Related Links
Shenzen Hosts up to 500 MP3 Player Manufacturers [GlobalSources.com]
China to Lead Global MP3 Market Growth [MacWorld UK]
Apple to Sell 22m Flash-iPod Within Two Years – Analyst [Yahoo News]
iPod Share Slips 5% on Strong Flash Sales [Mac Observer]
MP3 Player Market at Full Volume [China Economic Net]
The ABoss iPocket Says, Apple Please Sue Us! [Engadget]
iPod Competitors are Going After a Slice of Apple’s Pie [Seattle Post Intelligencer]
MP3 Player Market Set to Explode [CNetNews]
Korea Loses Out in MP3 Player Market [Korea Times]
