Apple takes chunk of Korean music player market

“Apple has increased its stake in the Korean MP3 market with its new flash-memory music player, the iPod Shuffle. From virtually nothing, Apple’s market share has risen to 10 percent as of the third week of March — less than two months after it began sales of the Shuffle,” according to a brief blurb in JoongAng Daily.

Full article here.

“According to a survey by online electronics retailer Danawa Corp., Apple Computer’s iPod music players accounted for 7 percent of the local market by revenue as of the first two-weeks of March,” Kim Tong-hyung reports for The Korea Herald. “Danawa estimates iPods market share by units to be well over 10 percent, considering that Apple’s products are sold in far-less fewer stores compared to those of their Korean counterparts including ReignCom Ltd. and Samsung Electronics Co. Apple Computer declined to disclose its local sales figures. ‘Apple Computer hardly had a presence in the Korean MP3 market last year but their market share has been significantly growing since the release of the iPod Shuffle earlier this month. Considering the difference in the number of distributors, Apple Computer’s market share has to be a lot higher than 7 percent,’ said a Danawa official.”

Full article here.

Related MacDailyNews articles:
Korean music player price war prompts ‘patriotic’ marketing by Korean firms – March 04, 2005
iRiver bows to Apple’s iPod shuffle, slashes MP3 flash-based player prices up to 25 percent – January 31, 2005
iRiver hires U.S. porn starlet Jenna Jameson to promote portable media players – January 18, 2005
Portable digital device maker iRiver bites into Apple (literally) via website – January 18, 2005
iRiver CEO on Apple iPod shuffle: ‘It will be very difficult for users to find their favorite songs’ – January 17, 2005
iRiver President: Apple can keep the ‘iPod crown,’ we want the ‘entertainment crown’ – April 30, 2004
Microsoft poised to release ‘iPod killer,’ enlists Creative, iRiver, Napster, others – March 17, 2004
New iRiver flash-memory player: one-eighth the capacity of Apple’s ‘iPod mini’ for US$80 more – February 09, 2004