Commentary: Apple’s iPod sales embarrassingly crushed Xbox this Christmas
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Jan 17, 2006 at 1:51am
According to a CNN report, “Microsoft Corp. has only sold 600,000 of its new Xbox 360 video game consoles in the United States since its November launch” (per market researcher NPD Group on Friday). Analysts, video game publishers and retailers have said shipments during the key holiday season fell short of expectations.
In stark contrast, Apple has likely sold more than 15 times that amount in the US alone during the holiday season. Steve Jobs reported during last week’s MacWorld, that Apple had sold more than 14 million iPods around the world. Apple doesn’t break out their iPod numbers geographically, but it wouldn’t be out of the question to “guestimate” that nine million or so were sold in the US alone. Better yet, according to Steve Jobs, “We couldn’t get enough flash memory, we couldn’t get enough of everything [to meet all the demand].”
Simply put, Apple’s iPod sales embarrassingly crushed those of Microsoft’s Xbox this Christmas. So much for Bill Gates self-hyped statement that the Xbox was “just hot.” Nice try, but no cigar! The same goes for those who over stated that the Xbox 360 topped the list of popular Christmas toys. Bong—wrong again!
Sustaining the iPod’s momentum
While Apple was in full swing at MacWorld last week, Macsimum News was the first to report on Apple’s new trademark “Mobile Me.” Although it’s not fully understood at this time as to how Apple plans to implement this new trademark, it should be noted that Telus, Canada’s second largest telecom, began selling Apple’s iPod this Christmas, listing it under Telus “Mobility.” Get the impression that Telus is gearing up for an over-the-air iPod for next Christmas? Yes, of course.
Although Apple will keep Mobile Me under wraps until they so decide, the evidence is clearly mounting that Apple will deliver an over-the-air wireless iPod – that could very well include telephony at some point in time. Ed Zander clearly thinks that Apple will build a smart phone and Nokia is building their next generation micro browser based in part on Apple’s WebCore.
The interesting thing about the timing of Nokia’s first statement about supporting WebCore, is that it came a month or two after Steve Jobs first spoke out against the wireless carriers Walled Garden’s approach to the Internet. So Apple wasn’t just thinking about it, they were hard at work to end this practice. Shortly thereafter other carriers began to state that they too would end this practice and as recently as a few weeks’ ago, SK Telecom, KTF and LG Telecom announced their plans to do join this movement.
The only reason for Apple’s new found interest in knocking down Walled Gardens is because they plan on delivering an over-the-air iPod that will likely include telephony. Sorry, but there just isn’t any other context for Apple’s move on that front.
Further proof of Apple’s intentions could be found in their iPod patent that clearly presents various mobile scenarios and services for a future wireless iPod. So Apple’s ability to sustain the iPod’s great momentum, is without question. Constant innovation will continue to be Apple’s trademark advantage and an over-the-air iPod is likely to be this year’s big ticket.
neo@macsimumnews.com
Leave a comment ⇒
Please post the article topic & comment in our forums. No registration required.
Article Information
Comment on this Article Print this Article Email this Article Digg This
Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
