MP3 Players Top Increase 57% This Year

After a blockbuster year in 2004 which saw sales more than doubled, sales of digital music players are projected to increase 57% this year, according to a report from El Segundo, Calif.-based market research firm iSuppli. The total number of MP3 players is projected to grow from 36.8 million in 2004 to 132 million in 2009. Hard drive-based players like Apple’s iPod — which saw shipments rise 116% in 2004 — are expected to grow from 27% of the market and 9.8 million in unit sales in 2004, to account for 43% of the market and see 56.2 million in unit sales in 2009. Currently, the market is still dominated by flash memory-based MP3 players, which cost much less than hard drive-based players, but do not hold nearly as many songs. The report from iSuppli also cautioned manufacturers against adding too many features to their designs. "Simple, elegant products that perform a few functions with easy-to-use interfaces have sold well in the marketplace, while the do-everything approach has failed."