iPod reina nos EUA, mas na Ásia nem tanto

«The iPod has been a runaway success in the United States, though the story is a bit mixed globally. Steve Jobs recently claimed a healthy 78 percent of the US-based market during the current quarter, though overseas markets have been less receptive. During a Monday SXSW panel on consumer digital behavior, Yahoo vice president of Corporate and Sales Research Michele Madansky pointed to an entirely different consumer in Asia. "The brand is far less important," Madansky said in reference to the portable MP3 market. That highlights an incredibly well-executed iPod marketing campaign in the United States, according to the Yahoo research executive.

The cult of iPod is a dominant force among US consumers, and one that Apple cultivates well. But analysts also point to excellent device functionality as a major success contributor, typified by a smooth iTunes+iPod connection. And globally, the picture is actually solid overall. iPod market share has been pegged at about 55 percent worldwide, though figures differ. In Asia, the iPod has caught fire in Japan, though other markets are far less hooked. Those countries offer the greatest challenge to Apple moving forward. Meanwhile, the mobile phone remains an inseparable appendage for most Asian consumers, and that is already having an impact on the portable MP3 market. Most recently, Samsung introduced an 8GB, HDD-based phone, offering a glimpse at next-generation storage and convergence possibilities» (fonte: Digital, Music News, iPod Dominates in US, Asian Markets Harder to Crack, 14/3/06).