MP3 playing devices are becoming hot items according to research

September 21, 2004

IDC, one
of the worlds best known market research firms has made a forecast for the MP3
player market. MP3 players and devices that are able to playback MP3 files
will become more mature the coming time and the company expects more competition
for Apple's Ipod and more flash memory based MP3 players. The company predicts
that flash players will become more popular due falling flash memory prices
while the market for home MP3 CD and MiniDisc players will only grow
modestly due to this. The company also thinks that legal MP3 download
sites will fuel the purchase of MP3 players.

"Compressed audio players - also known as MP3 players
- are coming into the mainstream as portable flash player prices fall and
capacities rise, the iPod mini and other small form factor portable
jukeboxes come to market, and more and more devices, including DVD players
and gaming devices, support compressed audio as a secondary feature," says
Susan Kevorkian, senior analyst, Consumer Markets. "New opportunities
abound for chip vendors, device manufacturers and paid music service
providers to guide mainstream music consumers into this rapidly evolving
market."

It's not hard to see that the MP3 market will grow.
Almost any devices that makes noise now comes with MP3 support and lots of
people are finding out that they can _really_ store more music on a CD when it's
filled with MP3 files. Discuss this in our Audio
Forum.

Source: Businesswire