Apple: We Knew Traditional iPod Sales Would Decline, That's Why We Developed iPhone

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

During their Q3, 2009 conference call today, Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook revealed that Apple forecast "traditional" iPod sales would begin to decline (sales of iPod shuffle, iPod nano, and iPod classic), which is why they developed the iPod touch and iPhone.

Apple maintained an over 70% US share of the MP3 market, and sold 10.2 million iPods, including iPod touch and the aforementioned traditional iPods. Though they once again didn't break down the sales mix, traditional iPods were down year over year, while iPod touch sales continue to grow, up 130%. Add to that 5.2 million iPhone sales last quarter, and it looks like Apple's new focus on their new mobile platform is well founded.

As Apple has always maintained, if someone is going to cannibalize their market, it's going to be Apple themselves.

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.