63% of music players shipped in 2004 were flash-based

Flash-based MP3 players made up 63% of all 2004 MP3 player shipments worldwide. InStat expects Flash-based MP3 players to capture a greater share of the MP3 market in 2005, as well. Customers who require 20 to 60 GB of capacity in their digital audio players are music enthusiasts who require large amounts of memory to store enormous music libraries. They want all their music with them at all times; therefore they will require higher-capacity HDD players. On the other hand, there will be a wide audience that is price-sensitive and does not require loads of memory space, especially first-time MP3 player buyers. These customers will turn to lower-priced, Flash-based MP3 players.