iPod nano Solidifies Apple's Dominance

Macworld writes another in a long line of articles claiming Apple will continue its dominance in the portable digital music player market with the intro of the iPod nano. Gene Munster at Piper Jaffray said, "Customers are basically doing back flips over this thing. People see the ads and they see it on the Web, but until they actually have one in there hand they just don’t get it."

Regarding Apple's leadership position, Munster added, "Their grip is getting stronger in the market. The nano basically gave them another year in the drivers seat.”

Tim Deal at Technology Business Research chimed in that “Apple is so firmly entrenched in the market right now — it would be hard to imagine what kind of misstep it would take on Apple’s part to lose this dominance."

Neither analyst saw Sony being able to topple Apple from its top perch. "Sony revolutionized portable music with the introduction of the original Walkman, but they were late to market with a digital solution and have been unable to market its portable music solution to create any excitement," said Deal.

Munster commented that "Sony is not going to be able to get an edge on this. It’s not like you are selling a Walkman that you are putting a tape in — you are selling an experience and that’s what Sony doesn’t have right now."

Deal agreed and stated, "The user experience for the iPod is one of its most compelling features. The fact that I can plug my iPod into my PC or Mac and have the integration between the device, the software and the online service creates a very positive experience."