Apple Continues to Rule the World

92.1%. Apple has 92.1% of the harddrive-based audio player market. 92.1%, so says Stephen Baker of the NPD Group. By comparison, Creative has 3.7% and Rio has 3.2%. That leaves just a 1% scrap for iRiver, Cowon and all the others to fight for. Absolutely amazing. Both CNet and The Register have good summaries.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple sold more than 2 million iPods in the last quarter. Also, Apple said that sale of HP-branded iPods already accounted for 6% of sales.

In the past we predicted that the biggest hurdle would-be Apple competitors would have is recognition that there are other audio players besides the iPod. CNet's report bears this out:

Competitors will have to contend with daunting brand recognition, however. In a recent survey of buying preferences among U.S. teenagers, analyst Jeff Klinefelter of Piper Jaffray found a strong preference for the iPod over competing products. Of the 600 teens surveyed, 16 percent already owned an iPod, and 24 percent planned to get one within the next year. Only 8 percent planned to acquire another brand of music player in that time.

Another recent Piper Jaffray survey found that the iPod was the fourth most-requested Christmas gift among U.S. high school students, trailing clothes, money and cars.

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