iPod dominance set to continue

There's life in the old Pod yet...

The dominance of Apple's iconic iPod will continue for at least another 18 months despite the prospect of increased competition.

According to JupiterResearch, the stranglehold the iPod presently has on the MP3 player market will not be threatened in the short term.

This forecast comes despite the imminent arrival of Microsoft's Zune and the increased availability of mobile phones capable of playing MP3 music files.

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Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director at JupiterResearch said: "Apple shows no signs of losing momentum, having conditioned customers to expect and adopt regular upgrades."

He said he doesn't expect the iPod to lose significant market share in the next 18 month.

The report suggests the user base for dedicated MP3 players in the US will reach 100 million by 2011, up from the 37 million at present. However, the research also predicts the number of people using MP3-capable mobile phones will exceed those using dedicated music players by 2009.

The first test of the iPod's dominance will be the US launch of the Zune in November.