“Sony is launching their portable video game player this week and the Million units initially slated for the US market have reportedly already sold out. This is a very similar event to the original offering of the Apple iPod suggesting that Sony may be about to yank the crown for the hottest consumer product away from Apple and make it their own,” Rob Enderle writes for Techonlogy Pundits. “Apple currently has the hot product with over 10M iPods sold in the last two years; however the potential for a Game system like the PSP is several times that in 2005 suggesting it could eclipse the iPod as the hot product this year if Sony can execute.

MacDailyNews Note: Estimates (from the likes of Credit Suisse First Boston and Goldman Sachs) for iPod units sold by Apple average about 5.75 million for this current quarter alone. Last quarter, Apple sold 4.58 million iPod units. So, while it’s perfectly correct to state that “Apple sold over 10M iPods in the last two years,” it really doesn’t explain the iPod’s explosive growth and the size of the mountain Sony must climb to eclipse Apple’s iPod. For the sake of clarity: by the end of this quarter, Apple will have sold well over 10 million iPods in 180 days.

“This last will be the problem because early reports indicate that some functions (pictures, music) are too difficult and others (movies) lack the media to make them compelling. Also Sony is clearly having production problems with only a fraction of the product on the market needed to meet demand they have had to delay the European launch of the product providing both Nintendo and Apple with much needed breathing room,” Enderle writes.

“This is a great game player, don’t buy it for features that don’t work well (music/photos), or that lack full support (movies) otherwise you are likely to be disappointed,” Endlere writes.

Full article here.

Related MacDailyNews articles:
Washington Post: Sony’s new PSP a ‘multimedia dud’ – no competition for Apple’s iPod – March 19, 2005
Does Sony’s new PlayStation Portable (PSP) threaten Apple’s iPod? – March 14, 2005