Get Better Gear!

Premier Sponsors

Other World Computing

TechRestore

Top 5 Free Apps

Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: August 29, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Release Date: August 07, 2009

iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Top 5 Paid Apps

Release Date: April 22, 2009
StickWars $0.99
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Genre: Games
Bloons $0.99
Release Date: April 05, 2009
Genre: Games

Discover New Music

  • The Stooges

    • 8 out of 10
    • The Stooges
    • Another pillar of my musical foundations, The Stooges' first album is one those records whose influence far outweighed its popularity. Like The Velvet Underground & Nico, hordes of people wh

  • The Last 5 Years (2002 Off-Broadway Cast)

    • 10 out of 10
    • Jason Robert Brown
    • The soundtrack to this moving off-broadway musical is heart moving. The lyrics follow a couple in a relationship for five years, one point of view going forward in time, and the other tracing time fr
  • Plans

    • 8 out of 10
    • Death Cab for Cutie
    • With the introduction of Plans, Death Cab for Cutie became a new addition to many user's Artist list after the single "Soul Meets Body" became a hit on iTunes. Offering a fresh alternativ

  • War of the Worlds

    • 10 out of 10
    • Jeff Wayne
    • With the new movie adaptation of H.G Wells' classic Sci Fi invasion tale, War of the Worlds, currently on theater screens everywhere, there's new interest in Jeff Wayne's rock opera version, and it is
  • Goodbye Jumbo

    • 8 out of 10
    • World Party
    • Released in 1990, World Party's

Reader Specials

Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!

News

iPod Becomes Dominant in Japan

The iPod had 51.3% of the MP3 player market in Japan at the end of 2005, up from around 32% in 2004 and dwarfing its nearest competitors, second-place Sony (16.2%) and third-place Panasonic (8.2%). BusinessWeek's Ian Rowley explained that while Japan has "one of the most competitive consumer-electronics markets on the planet," consumers in that country "are jazzed by iPod's sleek and hip design, easy-to-use functions and first-class software."

Gartner Dataquest analyst Jon Erensen told Mr. Rowley that "other companies, including the Japanese consumer-electronics giants, have been focused on one or two pieces of the equation." As an example, Mr. Rowley said that Sony's players have been praised for their design and sound quality, but the company's Connect software is oft-maligned.

Japan's overall market for MP3 players rose 50% during 2005, to 4.2 million units sold. Part of the credit for Apple's gain, according to Mr. Rowley, goes to last August's opening of the iTunes Music Store in Japan, along with the opening of an Apple Store in Tokyo's Shibuya district, which is well-known as the center of all things cool in Japan.

Apple, however, still faces threats on a number of fronts, including Sony's release of a new Walkman that "has been well-received in Japan," according to Mr. Rowley. He also said that the Japanese digital music service Mora, which offers Japanese pop stars not available through the iTMS, saw its downloads increase 190% from December 2004 to December 2005.

In addition, cell phones pose a substantial threat, with Toshiba offering one that includes a 4GB hard drive that can store 2,000 tracks. Japanese carrier AU has sold 33 million songs since November 2004 and in April will add an online music store that will enable consumers to download music to their computers or to their cell phones. "Apple claims iTunes is the leading supplier of downloadable music via PCs in Japan," Mr. Rowley wrote.

Post Your Comments

  Remember Me  Forgot your password?

Not a member? Register now. You can post comments without logging in, but they'll show up as a "guest" post.

Commenting is not available in this section entry.