Analyst: iPod reaching iconic status
With the iPod leading the way for Apple Computer Inc.'s charge into the consumer market, NPD Group analyst Ross Rubin said the iPod is reaching iconic status. While the iPod Shuffle aims to openly compete with many other players in the MP3 market, the upcoming release of iLife '05 may quietly threaten products of third-party developers.
"They just have incredible brand momentum at this point -- it is certainly the hot product this year," Rubin told MacCentral. "The iPod is Apple's hottest product since the Macintosh and it has transformed an industry, just like the Mac did. I think that merits iconic status."