Wednesday, July 5,2006 @ 12:10pm
Cellphones to eliminate iPod market?
A new report based on an IMS Research study covering "Global Markets for Handheld Media Players" has forecast the downfall of the iPod. Apple's dominance in the media player industry may all but vanish over the next five years because it is "regional and temporary," according to cellular-news.com. The report alleges that iPods will be unable to keep up with all-in-one cellular devices that are exploding onto the scene due to falling flash-based media prices. Consumers will choose one integrated device rather than tote both a mobile phone and an iPod, according to the report. Apple's iPod Nano was a key factor in the lowering of flash media prices in recent months, and saw "staggering" demand through the 2005 holiday shopping season which resulted in a record quarter for Apple.