Those Kids & Their Dang Pods.
March 22, 2005
A new report by JupiterResearch finds that digital music players will achieve “critical mass” this year, with ownership levels reaching 15% to 20% of households. The popularity of iPods among teenagers continues to grow.
JupiterResearch expects shipments of MP3 players in the US will increase by 35% in 2005, totaling 18.2 million by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the installed base will grow from 16.2 million in 2004 to 56.1 million in 2010.
A Pew study conducted in April 2005 found that people of all ages own digital music players, but that ownership is skewed towards younger adults and adults with children. Pew didn’t survey anyone under the age of 18, but a new Piper Jaffray report finds that 41% of the high school students surveyed own an MP3 player, and of those, more than half are iPod owners.
“Apple shows no signs of losing momentum,” says Michael Gartenberg, VP and Research Director at JupiterResearch. “The iPod is a consumer phenomenon. Apple dominates this sector and will dominate portable MP3 player growth over the medium term.”
Look for more MP3 player growth ahead: Piper Jaffray reports that 59% of high school students who don’t own an MP3 player plan on buying one.
