Apple sells 100 millionth iPod

[AppleInsider]

Apple said Monday that the 100 millionth iPod has been sold, making the iPod the fastest selling music player in history.

The first iPod was sold five and a half years ago, in November 2001, and since then Apple has introduced more than 10 new iPod models, including five generations of iPod, two generations of iPod mini, two generations of iPod nano and two generations of iPod shuffle.

The players, along with iTunes and the iTunes online music store, have forever altered the landscape of the music industry and how music lovers acquire, manage and listen to their music.

“At this historic milestone, we want to thank music lovers everywhere for making iPod such an incredible success,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPod has helped millions of people around the world rekindle their passion for music, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that.”

The iPod has also sparked an unprecedented ecosystem of over 4,000 accessories made specifically for the iPod that range from fashionable cases to speaker systems, and more than 70 percent of 2007-model US automobiles currently offer iPod connectivity.

“Without the iPod, the digital music age would have been defined by files and folders instead of songs and albums,” said John Mayer, GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist. “Though the medium of music has changed, the iPod experience has kept the spirit of what it means to be a music lover alive."

Every iPod sold by Apple features seamless integration with iTunes 7. Meanwhile, the iTunes Store features the world’s largest catalog with over five million songs, 350 television shows and over 400 movies. It has sold over 2.5 billion songs, 50 million TV shows and over 1.3 million movies, making it the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store.

[Neruda]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Apple said Monday that the 100 millionth iPod has been sold, making the iPod the fastest selling music player in history.

Has Apple now sold more iPods than the total number of computers it sold in its entire history? Consumer electronics is where the growth is at for this company.

[caliminius]

Originally Posted by Neruda

Has Apple now sold more iPods than the total number of computers it sold in its entire history? Consumer electronics is where the growth is at for this company.

Well, when they start selling $79 computers, I'm sure they'll catch up to the iPod in terms of sales...

[fraklinc]

can you believed they sold 20GB ipods at the beginning for $499 and they could not keep enough on the shelfs am willing to bet they will sell over 10 million iphones by the end of the year i mean who the heck would want another smart phone, i personally llisted my on ebay already before its to late, because who would want it seriously ?

[JeffDM]

It would be nice if the news sites directly linked to the PR piece that they are quoting:

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/09ipod.html

The article didn't mention that Apple's front page has this information, it even links to the press release.

[Porchland]

Apple makes this announcement on a Monday? Hmmm.....

I wonder if we'll be getting a new iPod or some new iTS goodies tomorrow or next Tuesday. Like maybe:

* "The Sopranos." Warner Brothers has other shows in the store but still nothing from HBO, and the new season started last night.

* The Beatles. Steve Jobs said at the EMI announcement that he "wishes he knew" when the Beatles were coming. He knows.

* Warner Brothers, Sony and Fox movies. All three have content in the TV store but no movies.

* HD movies. Apple TV is screaming for HD content.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by fraklinc

can you believed they sold 20GB ipods at the beginning for $499 and they could not keep enough on the shelfs am willing to bet they will sell over 10 million iphones by the end of the year

The very first iPod was 5GB and sold for $399, a later update had added a model, 10GB @ $499. There was a 20GB / $499 iPod about a year after initial release. The 10 millionth iPod didn't sell until three years after the initial release, that's about when the product started to take off. The total was about 1.5M at the 18 month mark. The full size iPod wasn't the best selling model except when it was the only choice. Later, when there was a choice, the best selling model was the mini, then the nano, that's when they started hitting the price point for mainstream acceptance.

[fuyutsuki]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

“Without the iPod, the digital music age would have been defined by files and folders instead of songs and albums,” said John Mayer, GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Hear hear!

I remember the old Napster / WinAMP days. Oh and what ripping CD's was like before iTunes. YUCK! I'm as glad for the iPod/iTunes ecosystem in some ways as I am for my four years and counting on the Mac itself. They really brought some sense to what was already a seething mass of chaos. And in doing so popularised it and made it real.

Congratulations on a job well done.

[freeny]

Oh great! Now we can expect a stock dip.....

[Abster2core]

Originally Posted by Neruda

Has Apple now sold more iPods than the total number of computers it sold in its entire history? Consumer electronics is where the growth is at for this company.

Apple sold over 60 million Macs between 1990 - 2006

[willrob]

So that means this last quarter they sold 11-12 million. That's 39.5% over last year this time.

[Abster2core]

Originally Posted by Neruda

Has Apple now sold more iPods than the total number of computers it sold in its entire history? Consumer electronics is where the growth is at for this company.

Originally Posted by willrob

So that means this last quarter they sold 11-12 million. That's 39.5% over last year this time.

How did you figure that?

[fraklinc]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

The very first iPod was 5GB and sold for $399, a later update had added a model, 10GB @ $499. There was a 20GB / $499 iPod about a year after initial release. The 10 millionth iPod didn't sell until three years after the initial release, that's about when the product started to take off. The total was about 1.5M at the 18 month mark. The full size iPod wasn't the best selling model except when it was the only choice. Later, when there was a choice, the best selling model was the mini, then the nano, that's when they started hitting the price point for mainstream acceptance.

but the point is that they sold them real good, with out a problem

[gregmightdothat]

Originally Posted by Abster2core

How did you figure that?

Because a quarter ago they were approaching 90 million iPods?

[Abster2core]

Originally Posted by gregmightdothat

Because a quarter ago they were approaching 90 million iPods?

And what does that have to do with the number of Macs sold?

[gregmightdothat]

Originally Posted by Abster2core

And what does that have to do with the number of Macs sold?

Willrob wasn't talking about Macs. Why are you quoting him if you're not responding to him?

[chris v]

In related news, Microsoft shipped its hundredth Zune.

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by willrob

So that means this last quarter they sold 11-12 million. That's 39.5% over last year this time.

I keep a spreadsheet on iPod unit sales and I calculated that they had sold 88.7 million as of the end of 2006 so that means 11.3 million so far this year. This press release is out today which probably means some of those were sold last week which would not make the March quarter. Including last week, there have been 14 weeks so far this year so 11.3 million suggests a run rate of 807,000 per week. Not sure if the week before Easter would be an above average or below average week but we are probalby looking at around 10.5 million for the March quarter. That is within the range of analyst estimates but in the lower half of the range. The stock could be trading down because of that but there have also been some concerns about March Q units with one analyst recently dropping his estimate to 10.3 million. So overall, I'd call it a neutral event but it is good to know that there won't be a negative surprise on units especiallya fter the ridiculous 21 million units in the December quarter.

Where the surprise could exist is on ASP or margin. ASP will be down sharply again year over year due to the popularity of the shuffle but given trends in memory prices, margins should be be very good.

[Restalot]

Where do I send the traditional congratulatory singing telegram? Should I go with the Candystripers or the ever popular man-in-diaper?

[iconsumer]

proud to say i am responsible for 3 out of 100,000,000 ipods sold

but seriously, i have always wanted to have "the ultimate" music collection and i know it would be close to impossible to find all the songs i like, and too expensive to buy considering that i would have to buy whole albums to get the songs i want, and a hassle to store all the cd's, so itunes has made it possible, it has allowed consumers like me to simply click, collect and enjoy what would have otherwise been a huge effort to achieve, your the man jobs

[wilco]

Originally Posted by fraklinc

can you believed they sold 20GB ipods at the beginning for $499 and they could not keep enough on the shelfs am willing to bet they will sell over 10 million iphones by the end of the year i mean who the heck would want another smart phone, i personally llisted my on ebay already before its to late, because who would want it seriously ?

Well said!

[EagerDragon]

Save your money for June, everytime Apples anounces a product or great results, the stock dips. So in june it is going to REALLY DIP! Great for cheap stock.

LOL

[Homestar06]

Did anyone notice that the last paragraph of the article on apple.com is the same paragraph used to showcase Leopard's new and imporved text to speech technology? That's kinda funny. they like that paragraph.

[fuyutsuki]

Originally Posted by Homestar06

Did anyone notice that the last paragraph of the article on apple.com is the same paragraph used to showcase Leopard's new and imporved text to speech technology? That's kinda funny. they like that paragraph.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution…

Yeah, we know. It's called "boilerplate". Guess it was your 2nd ever look at a press release.

[Mr. H]

Originally Posted by Homestar06

Did anyone notice that the last paragraph of the article on apple.com is the same paragraph used to showcase Leopard's new and imporved text to speech technology? That's kinda funny. they like that paragraph.

That's Apple's "Mission Statement". It appears at the end of every press release.

[Homestar06]

gottcha. Yeah, I don't look at too many press releases.

[IQ78]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Apple said Monday that the 100 millionth iPod has been sold, making the iPod the fastest selling music player in history.

...

This is all pointless fluff. The iPod is just a fad like the CD. The iPod/iTune "eco-life" won't last beyond 15-30 years. You'll see.

IQ78

[Mr. H]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

over 1.3 million movies

Hmmm.

Movie sales not going well at all.

In January, when Apple reached 2 billion songs and added Paramount films, they issued a press release in which they stated that the store had sold "over 1.3 million movies". So, the store has sold significantly fewer than 100,000 movies in 3 months. Not good when compared to the rate at which they were selling at the beginning. Whereas the sales rate of songs is going up and up and up, movie sales seem to be drying up.

[Flounder]

Originally Posted by IQ78

This is all pointless fluff. The iPod is just a fad like the CD. The iPod/iTune "eco-life" won't last beyond 15-30 years. You'll see.

IQ78

And your point is? 15-30 years is more than a fad. Hell, I'd say the 5.5 years the iPod is at now constitutes more than a fad.

Somehow I think apple will still manage to innovate.

I can just see the conversations in board rooms all across the country..... "Wow, we've got a really great product here, but it'll only be a 15-30 year fad. I guess we'll just have to cancel it!"

[Flounder]

Originally Posted by direwolf

I keep a spreadsheet on iPod unit sales and I calculated that they had sold 88.7 million as of the end of 2006 so that means 11.3 million so far this year. This press release is out today which probably means some of those were sold last week which would not make the March quarter. Including last week, there have been 14 weeks so far this year so 11.3 million suggests a run rate of 807,000 per week. Not sure if the week before Easter would be an above average or below average week but we are probalby looking at around 10.5 million for the March quarter. That is within the range of analyst estimates but in the lower half of the range. The stock could be trading down because of that but there have also been some concerns about March Q units with one analyst recently dropping his estimate to 10.3 million. So overall, I'd call it a neutral event but it is good to know that there won't be a negative surprise on units especiallya fter the ridiculous 21 million units in the December quarter.

Where the surprise could exist is on ASP or margin. ASP will be down sharply again year over year due to the popularity of the shuffle but given trends in memory prices, margins should be be very good.

However, they could have sold the 100 millionth a few weeks ago, and just didn't announce for a while for some PR reason. Not saying you're wrong, but we definitely don't know for sure when # 100,000,000 was sold.

[Porchland]

Originally Posted by Mr. H

Hmmm.

Movie sales not going well at all.

In January, when Apple reached 2 billion songs and added Paramount films, they issued a press release in which they stated that the store had sold "over 1.3 million movies". So, the store has sold significantly fewer than 100,000 movies in 3 months. Not good when compared to the rate at which they were selling at the beginning. Whereas the sales rate of songs is going up and up and up, movie sales seem to be drying up.

I'm actually glad to see weak movie sales. If the numbers are accurate, the weak sales should send a message to Apple that:

* consumers will not spend $10-$14 on digital movies;

* consumers do not have space to keep many 4GB movies on their hard drive, don't have the technical expertise to transfer to an external drive, and in most cases don't have an external drive. (Yes, I know you have an external drive, so save yourself the post.)

Bottom line: Consumers want to rent movies for $4-$5 for one or two viewings (like they are already accustomed to doing from video stores and PPV) or pay a fee to have a certain number of movies at a time or in a given period (like they already do with Netflix).

When Apple gets around to making a big splash for downloading movies to Apple TV -- ahem, in HD -- I hope the addition of a PPV/rental tier is the centerpiece of the plan.

[Abster2core]

Originally Posted by gregmightdothat

Willrob wasn't talking about Macs. Why are you quoting him if you're not responding to him?

Since Wilrob didn't indicate whom he was replying to and it was posted immediately following my reply to Neruda, I had assumed he was referring to my reply to Neruda. My error.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by Mr. H

Hmmm.

Movie sales not going well at all.

In January, when Apple reached 2 billion songs and added Paramount films, they issued a press release in which they stated that the store had sold "over 1.3 million movies". So, the store has sold significantly fewer than 100,000 movies in 3 months. Not good when compared to the rate at which they were selling at the beginning. Whereas the sales rate of songs is going up and up and up, movie sales seem to be drying up.

You beat me to that.

I was going to mention that while the last time Jobs mentioned music sales, it was to say that they had sold over 2 billion, now it's over 2.5 billion. I don't remember the number of Tv shows previously sold, but it was less than 50 million.

But, strangely, the movie numbers are the same as last time, not even a point 1 uptick. That doesn't seem right. they must have sold some since last time.

[Porchland]

Originally Posted by Flounder

And your point is? 15-30 years is more than a fad. Hell, I'd say the 5.5 years the iPod is at now constitutes more than a fad.

Somehow I think apple will still manage to innovate.

I can just see the conversations in board rooms all across the country..... "Wow, we've got a really great product here, but it'll only be a 15-30 year fad. I guess we'll just have to cancel it!"

I think he was kidding.

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by direwolf

I keep a spreadsheet on iPod unit sales and I calculated that they had sold 88.7 million as of the end of 2006 so that means 11.3 million so far this year. This press release is out today which probably means some of those were sold last week which would not make the March quarter. Including last week, there have been 14 weeks so far this year so 11.3 million suggests a run rate of 807,000 per week. Not sure if the week before Easter would be an above average or below average week but we are probalby looking at around 10.5 million for the March quarter. That is within the range of analyst estimates but in the lower half of the range. The stock could be trading down because of that but there have also been some concerns about March Q units with one analyst recently dropping his estimate to 10.3 million. So overall, I'd call it a neutral event but it is good to know that there won't be a negative surprise on units especiallya fter the ridiculous 21 million units in the December quarter.

Congratulations, you are now officially an analyst. Boom!

[melgross]

Originally Posted by Porchland

I'm actually glad to see weak movie sales. If the numbers are accurate, the weak sales should send a message to Apple that:

* consumers will not spend $10-$14 on digital movies;

* consumers do not have space to keep many 4GB movies on their hard drive, don't have the technical expertise to transfer to an external drive, and in most cases don't have an external drive. (Yes, I know you have an external drive, so save yourself the post.)

Bottom line: Consumers want to rent movies for $4-$5 for one or two viewings (like they are already accustomed to doing from video stores and PPV) or pay a fee to have a certain number of movies at a time or in a given period (like they already do with Netflix).

When Apple gets around to making a big splash for downloading movies to Apple TV -- ahem, in HD -- I hope the addition of a PPV/rental tier is the centerpiece of the plan.

This has nothing to do with sending a message to Apple. You're missing the point.

Movie companies don't really want to sell movies online. Neither do the largest sellers of DVD's, WalMart, and Target, who only want to, because they don't want to be left out of any possible future action, if any. They much rather continue selling DVD's in their stores.

But, if online movie sales fail, it will hurt Apple, not them.

Apple can't force studios to let them sell at lower prices than they do now. Why do you think Apple has so few stufios now? Because their prices for movies are too low, and the DRM allows them to play on too many devices. That's why other online sales sites have thousands of movies, and Apple has a few hundred, mostly older ones.

[yama]

Nice

That's more iPods than GameCube (22m), XBox (24m), XBox 360 (10m) and Wii (5m) sales combined. Soon they'll surpass the PlayStation2 (115m) if this keeps up.

[JupiterOne]

Originally Posted by IQ78

This is all pointless fluff. The iPod is just a fad like the CD. The iPod/iTune "eco-life" won't last beyond 15-30 years. You'll see.

IQ78

Originally Posted by Flounder

And your point is? 15-30 years is more than a fad. Hell, I'd say the 5.5 years the iPod is at now constitutes more than a fad.

Somehow I think apple will still manage to innovate.

I can just see the conversations in board rooms all across the country..... "Wow, we've got a really great product here, but it'll only be a 15-30 year fad. I guess we'll just have to cancel it!"

Please note proper use of sarcasm.

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by JupiterOne

Please note proper use of sarcasm.

"I'm liking the tilde. Who doesn't like the tilde? Did I say you couldn't use the tilde? Why didn't you use the tilde?" (imagine this in the voice of Cosmo Kramer's lawyer...Jackie Chiles.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

"I'm liking the tilde. Who doesn't like the tilde? Did I say you couldn't use the tilde? Why didn't you use the tilde?" (imagine this in the voice of Cosmo Kramer's lawyer...Jackie Childs.

If someone makes a joke, or a sarcastic remark, or says something cynical (all of which, it seems, goes down as being sarcastic for some reason), and it isn't be recognized on its own, then it is a failure, why should it need a special mark?

Should we then have one for a joke, or the cynical remark as well?

It's too complex. People can indicate the thrust of what they are saying, by writing better, and using bold or capitals for certain words, or a smiley.