The second largest company in the world reported earnings last night and one of the break-outs is: iPod sales continue to decline.
Extrapolate what you wish: saturation is near peak, no compelling reason to upgrade, etc
The fact remains, iPod sales are down 4% from last quarter and 11% year over year. Meanwhile, AppleTV did decently, iPhone continues to sell in record numbers, and the iPad, which didn’t even exist 6 months ago, sold $2.8 billion.
Compare the 9 million iPods sold last quarter with the 4 million iPads and it is clear where the momentum is headed.
With Apple focused on iPad and iPhone and even AppleTV finally becoming more than a “hobby,” it seems that the iPod will become more and more irrelevant to Apple’s numbers.
Apple has 70% share of music players and has set its sights on other mediums.
If the single largest company acting as the largest driver of music consumption and music sales no longer cares so much about music, what does that mean for the music industry?
There’s a chance Google puts some pizazz back in the game but I’m betting Google’s more focused on tablets and smartphones, just like Apple is.
Maybe some lawsuits can spice things up? Without Glee, it seems, no one would care at all.
Grouch Marx can still tickle the funny bone but even he couldn’t get a laugh on the state of affairs in the music biz.
