O iPod no carro

«70% of 2007's U.S. car models will have built-in iPod connectors»

«the biggest challenge for all of the satellite broadcasters is only now emerging: Apple Computer’s iPod appears to be disrupting the broadcast business. Back when satellite radio systems were, literally, on the launching pad, the iPod did not exist and the main competition was conventional commercial-cluttered radio.

Now more than 67 million iPods have been sold and Apple has generated more than US$1.5-billion in revenue from downloaded songs. Analysts expect Apple to sell between 16-20 million more iPods in the current quarter alone, dwarfing the total satellite audience of 12 million, built up over the past five years.

Another important indicator is Apple’s new lineup of friends: Some 70% of next year’s U.S. car models will have built-in iPod connectors. And earlier this month, six major airlines announced they too would install iPod connectors and chargers at every passenger seat.

Conventional radio broadcasters, already in decline for several years, are showing signs of further weakness attributed to the iPod, with young U.S. adult audiences down 13-15% since 1999 according to Arbitron. Some stations are closing, some are being sold and some are changing their tune to mimic the "iPod shuffle" by playing a more random selection of music of different genres.

Given their high debt, high capital expenses and lack of profitability, satellite broadcasters would seem to be in an especially risky spot. A string of satellite industry bankruptcies including Iridium, ICO Global Communications, Motient and Telesat Mobile following a boom in the 1990s highlights the risk.»

fonte: «Urlocker: How Satellite Radio Can Survive the Age of the iPod», Michael Urlocker, Financial Post, Published: Sunday, November 26, 2006