Forbes Wonders ‘is iPod Good for Apple?’

September 9th, 2004 at 3:00 PM - News by Brad Gibson

In it’s current print edition, Forbes Magazine wonders if Apple’s great success with the iPod will really lead to future profits.

Reporter Victoria Murphy makes the case in her article entitled The Song Remains the Same that Major competition from other companies like Microsoft and Sony will start to put pressure on Apple to maintain its marketshare of 70% in portable music players and will also start to negatively affect Apple’s profit margins in the iPod, which reportedly are around five percent.

”The gadget’s price is down so much this year that Apple will have to sell 20% more iPods next year to maintain profits,” she wrote.

Forbes also reflected on Apple’s past when CEO Steve Jobs refused to share the Mac OS with third-party companies and then gave examples of Apple not wanting to share its iPod and iTunes Music Store technology now. “Hmmmm. Falling prices, a penchant for proprietary design and a raft of new products from big rivals, with most of them running Microsoft software. Somehow, it all sounds awfully familiar.”