1. Mp3 Downloads
> Apple’s product: iTunes store
> Market share: 70%
> Units sold: 15 billion+
Apple’s iTunes store, which opened in 2001, completely changed the music industry by altering the way people purchase songs. The ease of buying music from one’s computer, combined with the organization offered by iTunes, propelled the program to industry leader, and now claims over 15 billion songs sold. According to the latest data available from The NPD Group, iTunes holds a 70% market share of digital music sales. Amazon is the second largest distributor, with 12% of the market.
2. Mobile Applications
> Apple’s product: App Store
> Market share: 59%
> Units sold: 14 billion+
Apple’s App Store was once the dominant provider of mobile applications, with 81% market share in 2008. Since that time, a number of strong competitors have emerged, such as the Android Marketplace, causing Apple’s share to decrease to 59%, according to mobile research firm research2guidance. Still, this is a significant majority. To date, the store has sold more than 10 billion apps.
3. Tablets
> Apple’s product: iPad
> Market share: 82%
> Units sold: 20 million+
There was a bit of controversy when Apple first released its iPad in 2010. At the time, there was no tablet market and it was unclear whether there would be any demand for a product that exists somewhere between laptop and smartphone. Sure enough, the product was a hit and now Apple dominates the market. According to a report released this May by Nielsen, the iPad controls 82% of the US tablet market. The next greatest share, a mere 4%, is owned by the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
4. Online Movie Sales
> Apple’s product: iTunes store
> Market share: 64.5%
> Units sold: 140 million+
For 2010, Apple was the leader in sales of movies online in the United States, according to a report published by research firm iSuppli in February 2011. Proving its dominance over other online movie sellers, such as Microsoft, Sony, and Walmart, Apple had 64.5% market share. The closest competitor was Microsoft, with 17.9%.
5. Mp3 Players
> Apple’s product: iPod
> Market share: 76%
> Units sold: 300 million+
Apple’s iPod has been the leading mp3 player since its release. The SanDisk Sansa Clip and the Microsoft Zune were both expected to be serious competition at some point, yet they could not compete with iPod. The first seven, best selling mp3 players on Amazon.com are variations of the Apple iPod, including the iPod touch, iPod classic, and iPod shuffle. The product’s true competition is the growing popularity of smartphones.
Charles B. Stockdale
