iPod halo reaches Apple, others

The iPod ecosphere is growing fast, helping out both Apple and a wide variety of other computer peripheral manufacturers, such as Belkin, Griffin Technology, Harmon Kardon, and Bose as well as high-end designers such as Kate Spade, according to MarketWatch. The report says that iPod products will contribute more than $200 million, or more than 20% of its 2005 sales of $800 million, to the 2006 fiscal year revenue of Belkin. "NPD does not yet have figures on the market for iPod accessory sales alone, but that during the first nine months of 2005, total portable digital player accessory revenue reached $412 million in the United States-a 370% increase from the same period in 2004-with accessory sales generating nearly 26 cents for every $1 of digital player sales. Of those sales, speaker systems made up the largest piece of digital player revenue, with 26.5% of the U.S. accessory sales, while player cases accounted for 18% of the market's revenue and sales of FM transmitters made up 16%."