Just try to escape the news about how popular the iPod is this year. The iPod is topping many of this year's electronics and toy gift lists. The EcommerceTimes says iPods are likely to be this year's top gift.
Expect to see more. IPods and other portable MP3 Latest News about MP3 music players are forecast to be the top electronics gift pick for the holidays, paving the way for a season of robust sales in the consumer electronics category.
It's a perfect storm of factors, analysts say: Prices of some of the most coveted goods have fallen as much as 30 percent, and there's a critical mass of shoppers who are ready to shell out for such pricey gifts as high-definition TVs and iPods.
"You have a tremendous amount of new products that are out there that have finally reached the point of mass appeal," said Sean Wargo, industry analyst for the Consumer Electronics Association.
The New York Times also says the iPod is the most coveted consumer electronics item of 2005 along with Microsoft's hard-to-find Xbox 360. The addition of video to the iPod with downloadable episodes from television shows for $1.99 has made the iPod even more attractive. Just this week NBC cut a deal to offer show episodes like the deal Apple cut with ABC to offer episodes from popular ABC shows like Lost.
Even old ipods are popular. An article in Information Week notes that older iPods sell on auction sites like eBay, as people sell their older models when they upgrade to the latest version. eBay has an iPod section which lists tens of thousands of active auctions for iPods and iPod accessories.
There is also a huge market of accessory products created for the iPod. These accessories include cases, docks, adapters, speakers, ear plugs, clothing and remote controls. CNET has an feature called the Ultimate iPod Accessories and iLounge has a long list of iPod accessories. Some iPod accessories we have discussed here on ShoppingBlog.com include iPod shirts, Juicy iPod holder, iPod costumes and Gucci iPod cases. There are also many handmade iPod accessories like these cases available from Pixelgirlshop. Apple refers to this growing accessory market as the iPod economy. "The iPod economy is thriving with over 1,000 accessories now available," says Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPod Product Marketing. "There are more ways than ever to get the perfect accessory to complement your iPod for use at home, on the go and in the car."
It is this accessory market that makes the iPod great for gift giving. Even if someone you know already has an iPod it isn't hard to find an ccessory that they don't have. You can find iPods and iPod accessories at most electronics retailers. There are also Apple stores located nationwide. Online there is the official Apple iPod website, Amazon.com's iPod Store, XtremeMac add the iStore. ShoppersShop.com also provides a list of iPod retailers.
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