“Apple’s share of the US flash-player MP3 market grew from 43 percent in February to 58 percent in March, according to research firm NPD. Apple’s share of the US hard-disk player market was also at 90 percent, while the iTunes Music Store marketshare was above 70 percent in April. The data were reported by Merill Lynch analyst Steven Milunovich in a research note to clients. The analyst also discussed future iPod enhancements expected by the end of the year, the (non-existent) mobile phone threat, and more. The firm reiterated its ‘Buy’ rating on Apple stock with a price target of of $51 per share,” MacNN reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: So much for the “war.” Not bad for a “big let-down that’s worse than the cheapest Chinese player,” huh? We hope they’ve bolted the windows shut over at Creative’s corporate headquarters. Nobody wants to see any broken sidewalks in Singapore.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple squeezes and Creative’s profit plunges 72-percent – April 23, 2005
Apple iPod pressure forces Creative to drop prices on music players – March 01, 2005
Creative’s self-declared ‘MP3 player war’ against Apple isn’t going very well – January 20, 2005
Creative CEO: Apple iPod shuffle ‘a big let-down, worse than the cheapest Chinese player’ – January 12, 2005
Creative declares ‘war’ on Apple iPod, shoots for 40% market share of MP3 players – December 21, 2004
Creative Technology declares ‘MP3 War’ against market-dominating Apple iPod – November 17, 2004
Mossberg: Dell, Rio, Creative ‘iPod mini killers’ lag badly behind Apple iPod mini – October 27, 2004
Creative pushes to become ‘Pepsi’ to Apple’s ‘Coke’ in digital music player market – August 07, 2004
Well ain’t that nice.
Let the “Creative” spin begin! (or should that be “end”?
So much for the idea that subscription services are better than just paying the buck and keeping your music forever. The iTunes Music Store has shown the world that subscription service, (A.K.A. renting your music) is a bad idea as Steve Jobs has pointed out so many times. And I totally agree with him. It’s $15 a month that I could buy 15 more songs with and keep as my own forever versus watching it disappear with nothing in return. iTunes works because it is still the simple interface and the hardware and software which are made for each other.
czobes,
More like, “The Creative TAIL-spin…”
Poor Sim Wong Hoo. For his family’s sake, I hope that he’s kept up with his life insurance policy payments.
Now if only they’d introduce some decent colours for the iPod minis. Most of the people I know buy silver, finding the other colours ‘candy like’, ‘sticky’, or ‘Disneyland’, to mention a few reactions. My German friends just say ‘kitschig’.
Just imagine an iPod in anthracite, battleship grey, Sherwood Forest green, navy blue or old rose – to mention but a few.
I must admit that I thought M$ would have cobbled up several competitors and crushed Apple by now.
From a technical perspective… Apple really does have a good product that is produced on an excellent software and hardware platform. This is important because it gives users a good experience and Apple has the ability to make changes and additions to enhance the services provided by iTunes.
Movies must be next.
-b
But he’s only a “super small market share guy”…
How could he possibly do this?
Charko,
I kinda like the colors of the minis right now, but I completely agree with you that they should definitely make some more colors, especially for the shuffles. no choice other than plain white is just boring.
Yeah, I know that there are a lot of products you can buy to personalize your iPod, but I’d rather have the color option right away without having to spend an extra 20 bucks. Plus, they just look so much better in the store if they have some color to them.
Apple, now that you’ve got complete domination of the market, don’t slow up. Keep on surprising us with what your innovation.
The article over at MacNN concludes:
” .. The note also indicated Apple may begin another heavy ad campaign highlighting Macs. Currently, Apple’s TV spots only feature the iPod, but the analyst is lookig to coming Mac ads to augment the halo effect ..”
‘broken sidewalks in Singapore’
LOL
Does anyone know what floor a Creative exec would have to jump from to actually break a sidewalk?
> Does anyone know what floor a Creative exec would have to jump from to actually break a sidewalk?
Leave Sim Wong Hoo alone! I will be moving to Singapore in a few years, and I might need to get a job at Creative.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> I will try Apple first though.
Creative is desperately trying to come up with a new storage technology to ‘dominate’…
How about Blu-ray Creative players..
Punch cards?
Here’s hoping they do some OS X advertising… so far it’s a stealth operating system… they’ve had secret projects less secret than OS X to the general (non-Mac using) public.
I like the iPod Mini colors. Some more options would be fine, but i hope Apple doesn’t switch back to oldskool colors as they did in the final hours of the iMac G3.
Now, if Belkin would introduce this simple cellphone add-on for my iPod photo – i could throw away my T68i.
I’ve seen many Apple critics complaining about the onerous restrictions of DRM associated with iTunes, but I’ve seen nothing on the requirments associated with subscriptions. In my view that is even more intrusive, tying you completely to your computer, every single month just to keep your music playable. At least with the purchase model, barring a system AND iPod meltdown, you can play your purchased music infintely.
The CURRENT mini colors are only so-so, but the ORIGINAL colors for the mini were excellent–I wonder why they changed? Just compare one of the original lime-green minis with the current weird green and you’ll see what I mean. OK, so of course this is a matter of taste, but a lot of people I know seem to share my view.
Me, I’m very happy with my silver…
Right RT!
You’re the first one who has said what many, including myself, have thought. The change in colours was a step downwards in taste.
The Mac mini is a high quality device, and it deserves a better finish than these sirupy colours.
“Just imagine an iPod in anthracite…”
I can’t, because before I looked it up I had no idea what the hell anthracite is! Can any noun be a color now?
I’d like to see iPods in lint, gingivitis, nipple, teste, and tumor…
http://www.colorwarepc.com/products/default.aspx
There you go
How about a colorized iMac G5?
http://www.colorwarepc.com/content.aspx?id=34
they’re called SKINS you dopes and the iPod has a gazillion of them..
You want apple to waste money, trying to find the perfect number of colours to supply.. having 10 or so colours, because you guys are too lazy to get skins??
Maybe eventually, Apple will just make a silver iPod mini and ship it with a couple skins.. and encourage people to buy skins from 3rd parties etc.
there are some f**king cool skins out there guys.. way more interesting than a flat colour…
http://www.decalgirl.com/browse.cfm/4,2290.htm
God I love that one..
by the way (no i’m not it a bad mood at all.. in a great mood!) this little news item was hidden in an appleinsider report about a week ago.. they reported a 60% marketshare for the shuffle..
Paul Thurrott has yet to comment..
Anyone still dare to decalre war on iPod?
Those who called themself ‘iPod Killer’ will be killed by iPod at the end.
Apple Rule!!!!!!!
MMMMMM, Candy Apple iMac, MMMMM
I wonder if I could get them to do custom, I would love to have Batman
(This image in particular)
http://www2.warnerbros.com/batmanbegins/index.html
On the back of my mac