iPod accessory market booming

The iPod accessory market is booming, according to one report, despite looming predictions by analysts that Apple will reveal lower than expected sales of iPods for its September quarter. The Cupertino-based company today will report its financial results via a conference call at 5:00 p.m. EDT, which will be freely available as a webcast via QuickTime. The iPod accessory market is estimated by some to total roughly $1 billion, fueled by "necessary" products such as protective cases, as well as consumers' desire to personalize their players, according to BusinessWeek. Apple offers its own iPod accessories at its various retail locations as well as its online store, and recently experienced unusually high demand for its own as well as third party accessories, which it also sells via its online storefront.

5G iPod, Nano sales fall in Taiwan

Sales of Apple's iPod video and iPod nano in the Taiwan market have fallen to below 20,000 units per month since May of this year, according to one report. Local retail channels attribute the drop in sales to fierce competition from new MP3 players from Samsung and SanDisk. Monthly sales of iPods in the Taiwan market totaled 25,000-35,000 units during a shortage, topping out at 45,000-50,000 units, according to DigiTimes. Samsung and SanDisk have since launched their new portable media players which offer more functionality than Apple's own iPod, even as unbranded and less popular MP3 player manufacturers lowered prices during the last quarter to combat Apple's dominance in the market, ultimately resulting in decreased sales of iPods in the region.

Waterproof iPod shuffle case ships

H2O Audio today began shipping its H2O Audio for iPod shuffle waterproof housing, an adventure sport and outdoor recreation accessory for Apple's smallest iPod model. The H20 Audio for iPod shuffle offers waterproof and impact-resistant protection against outdoor conditions or recreational environments, enabling users to submerge the iPod up to a maximum depth of 10 feet. An easy-access control pad allows users to control the iPod within the case, while the device remains compatible with standard headphones. H20 Audio for iPod shuffle also works with H20 Audio waterproof headphones to listen to music entirely submerged, and includes an armband for $40.