Is iPod's Popularity Waning?

According to The Financial Express, Apple Computer’s continued dominance of the MP3 market is prompting more people to examine exactly what it is that makes the iPod so successful.

Many attribute the iPod’s dominance to Apple’s coolness, but according to the report, "Understanding iPod’s Dominance: A Consumer Perspective," Apple’s coolness appears to be waning. The reasons most often cited for purchasing an iPod have more to do with brand familiarity than Apple’s cachet.

Today’s iPod buyer is driven by practical considerations more than social status, according to Dale Gilliam III, director of primary research at the Diffusion Group, a media research and consulting company. Coolness ranked third among people aged 15 to 24, behind quality of interface and familiarity with the brand. Design aesthetics and quality of interface were the top two reasons cited by the 25- 34-year-old age group for purchasing an iPod. Among those between 35 and 50, familiarity with Apple and the iPod brand were the primary reasons they chose the iPod.