The iPod Accessory Ecosystem
Today's New York Times has an article about the business of providing third-party accessories for Apple's iPod.
It says that 2,000 accessories currently exist for various iPods. And how much business is being done?
"[M]aking add-ons for the iPod is a $1 billion business. Does that sound like hyperbole? Consider this. Last year, Apple sold 32 million iPods, or one every second. But for every $3 spent on an iPod, at least $1 is spent on an accessory, estimates Steve Baker, an analyst for the NPD Group, a research firm. That works out to three or four additional purchases per iPod."
Which categories are doing the best?
"About 28 percent of all accessories are cases. You can find microfiber sleeves or neoprene iPod cases made by dozens of start-ups for $10 or $20 or a $200 python-skin case made by Coach, the maker of stylish leather handbags. About 30 percent of sales are for car chargers or transmitters and the remainder are speakers and docking stations."
