In a recent Wall Street Journal article about how Apple iPod’s popularity forced Rio to quit the portable music player business, a chart displays the flash-based market share of various flash-based portable music players through June 2005.

The Wall Street Journal reports, “Later in September, Apple will pose an even greater challenge to other makers of flash-based music players when it is expected to change its iPod Mini products to flash chips from small hard drives. As a result, the new iPod Mini could be smaller, consume battery power at a slower rate and cost less than Apple’s current models.”
The WSJ’s graphic shows very clearly just how dominant Apple is in the flash-based market and, if the rumors of new iPod shuffle and iPod mini products come true, Apple’s market-dominance only looks to strengthen.

Full article (paid subscription required) here.

Related articles:
Analyst expects 3-6 million 4GB flash-based Apple iPod mini units to ship in second half 2005 – August 25, 2005
Apple to switch 4GB iPod mini from hard-drive to flash-based? – August 22, 2005
Apple’s iPod shuffle takes nearly 60 percent of US flash-player market in March – May 04, 2005