Originally published January 17 2005
MP3s spark healthy accessories industry
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Earphones, protective cases and belt clips are part of a new industry supplying MP3s owners with all the accessories they could need. There are cables to attach your IPod to your home sound system. And, of course, there are speakers. Seems like the industry is on the verge of rediscovering stereos.
Boom in MP3 players boosts accessories sales Gadgets include earphones, docking stations, speakers.
According to the Consumer Electronics Association, host of the giant Consumer Electronics Show here, sales of MP3 players doubled last year to just under 7 million worth $1.2 billion wholesale.
That could prove conservative, as industry and Wall Street sources have pegged Apple's iPod sales at as much as 6 million, including close to 4 million in the fourth quarter alone.
As a result, the market for MP3 accessories is humming, and nowhere is that more true than for the iPod, which owns about 70 percent of the MP3 player market.
For new listeners, after the music is loaded onto the player, the next question is how to extend the enjoyment of mobile music beyond the earphones.
Apple, which doesn't exhibit at this show, offers its own line of iPod accessories, mostly basic items such as belt clips and cases and chargers, all in its signature white.
Apple's standard ''earbud'' style earphones are considered good, but also strike some users as ill-fitting.
Indeed, after a few times of having the earbuds drop out from nothing more than the weight of the thread-thin wires, one might reasonably wonder whether the gyrating dancers in Apple's marketing campaign have theirs glued in.
The in-ear extensions snap onto the iPod's standard earbuds for a tighter fit and better isolation from outside noise.
For an earphone upgrade, Sony's MDR-EX71SLW in-ear model ($50) is well-regarded and also comes in iPod white.
Most cases include a belt clip to keep iPods out of pockets and safe from scratches from keys and change.
For that, several vendors offer powered speakers that mate with an iPod to offer a compact sound system.
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