Is Apple Killing The iPod?
Apple’s iPod has been around for the last ten years. When it was launched it was a revolutionary product that defined an industry. We’re sure that the iPod will be around for some time but is the end in sight? According to an analysis by Fortune magazine, iPod sales hit their peak during the holiday season of 2008. Since then, sales have been pushing south at a steady pace.
Apple’s jumped from around 22.7 million iPods sold at the end of 2008 to an expected 8.39 million iPods sold within the third quarter of 2011. These numbers do include the bump in sales received during the holidays, but, when comparing sales with the previous year, there is a 7.2% drop from Q3 of 2010.
Apple has decided to concentrate its efforts in its smart phone and tablet sales. When you think about the features that are built into Apple’s product line, the decline in sales starts to make sense. The more of Apple’s user base that shifts to the iPad or the iPhone, the more its antiquated iPod line looks like a meager purchase. The only huge difference between an iPod and an iPhone for example is price and capacity. While music lovers can store many many more songs in their iPods, and pay less for it, they are giving up a huge number of features.
It costs less money to shift from a low capacity iPhone to a high capacity one, than it does to purchase an iPhone and an iPod. And this is not considering those people who have already bought an iPhone and an iPad both. Why would people want all three? We highly doubt that users who use an iPad and/or an iPhone will be wanting to add an iPod touch to their collection.
Apple’s expected to hit around 7.9 million in third quarter sales for the iPad 2, and around 18.3 million in iPhone sales.
