Sales of Apple"s iPhone and its iPad tablet device continue to rise but there is a definite casualty in Apple"s business as a result. The once mighty iPod media player business has been in a sales decline since 2008. CNN Money reports that the total number of iPod sales in the US was 22.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. Now, according to the average estimates from a number of financial analysts, they expect Apple to report that they have sold just 8.39 million units in the just completed second quarter of 2011 when the company reveals its financial results next week. If that number is correct it means iPod sales will be down 7.2 percent from the same period a year ago.
The good news for Apple? They still control over 70 percent of the entire portable MP3 media player market. Despite a ton of competing media players from the likes of Microsoft, Sony, and others that have been released over the years none of them have been able to sell nearly as well as Apple"s iPod line up. However it"s also clear that Apple"s rising sales for its iPhone and iPad products will continue to take away from sales from its iPod family.
Apple is expected to announced new models for its iPod line in September alongside the new version of its iPhone. According to a sales chart from analyst firm Piper Jaffray, sales of iPods typically spike greatly in the fourth quarter of each year as shoppers buy them as holiday gifts.