The iPod Buries the Competition Financially

Yes, again we praise the iPod, not because we're somewhat obsessed with it, but because, whether you like it or not, the Apple player leads by far the mobile music player market.

This is what IDC has also found based on recent financial statement by the iPod's competitors, which proved to be at least disappointing.

Creative has seen its profits fall "a mere" 86% as the competition with Apple proves to be a lot more difficult than in past years. Reporting its results for the July -September quarter, it made a net profit of $691,000, which means a dramatic drop from the $4.8 million it reported for the same period a year ago.

iRiver isn't doing a lot better financially speaking in this third quarter either. ReignCom, producer of the iRiver brand, announced that it had sold 967,100 units in the third quarter, but in spite of the 4.2% production increase, revenues went down by 10.5%. The delayed release of the anticipated U10 is partially blamed for the poor results.