Apple have proven their mastery of the portable MP3 player market with the announcement of two new iPods – even before the buzz has died down from the launch, less than six months ago, of their hugely popular 3rd generation players.
And there’s more: the iTunes site, now selling 500,000 songs per week has just sold it ten millionth song. Thanks to the wonder of modern transaction processing we even know what and when it was: Complicated, by Avril Lavigne at 11.34pm (PST) on the 3rd of September. We wonder how much that commemorative file would fetch on eBay.
iTunes is immensely popular, despite being a US and Macintosh only platform – it demonstrates that there is a real market out there for properly licensed music downloads and the 99c price point seems ideal. Windows users and non-US customers look forward to enjoying the service later this year – we can’t wait to see how many units it’s going to shift then.
Steve Jobs said: “Legally selling ten million songs online in just four months is a historic milestone for the music industry, musicians and music lovers everywhere.”
Despite our shiny 30gb iPod being only four months old, it’s no longer the top of the range: the new 40gb iPod will hold 10,000 tracks (or as many songs as the iTunes store sells in three hours) for $499. Together with the 20gb ($399) model, they provide a more comprehensive range for people who like to carry a lot of music with them.
The iTunes Store: http://www.apple.com/itunes/
The iPod Lounge: http://www.ipodlounge.com
