Our World

Apple releases new iPods on the world

The iPod, released on October 23, 2001, has gone through several design modifications over the years (1st-5th gen., the mini, the shuffle, the nano), and each one has sold more that the last. On Sept. 12, Apple introduced two redesigns of the flash players (iPod nano, iPod shuffle) and new features to their 5th generation iPod. They also announced movies and games for sale on the iTunes Store (and the subtle removal of “Music” from the title).

And all of this is relevant through the topic of globalization. Apple’s ubiquitous player had 77% of the world MP3 player market in 2004, and technically that number is still growing (when you factor out cell phones that can play MP3’s, 4 out of 5 players say “iPod” on their backs). Apple’s huge share could only be obtained by globalization, which in turn is caused by reselling through huge stores like Wal-Mart, their store on the Internet (available in 30 countries), and through the increasing number of Apple Stores throughout the world (as of now, 3 in Canada, 6 in Japan, and 6 in the UK). Not bad for a company started by a handful of people in a garage in Cupertino, CA.

Apple's new iPods
Marketshare percentages

Did I blog correctly, Mrs. Hartman?

posted by Ryan @ 9/16/2006 12:24:00 PM