iLounge

Nike recently introduced its first iPod-specific accessory. The Nike Sport Armband, designed to hold an iPod nano during exercising or other activity, is made with lightweight Nike Pro Compression fabric and Dri-FIT material and is machine washable. The $40 armband is available in two color combinations (gray/orange and black/gray) and two sizes (small/medium and medium/large). Nike is also marketing the case to iPod shuffle owners.

Two more media giants said today that they are interested in striking deals with Apple to get their content on the iTunes Music Store.

Fox Filmed Entertainment’s co-chairman said his company is definitely open to a deal with Apple. “Of course, we’d be open to that. We believe it would be a great opportunity,” James Gianopulos said at the Reuters Media and Advertising Summit.

Meanwhile, a senior executive at Clear Channel Communications said that his company has recently been in talks with Apple, Yahoo and Microsoft about distributing its radio and video content. “They have yielded more discussions,” John Hogan, chief executive of Clear Channel’s radio division said at the same event. “They (the companies) are interested in content.”

In its annual report (SEC form 10-K) filed Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple summarized several iPod and iTunes related details.

Apple said that net sales of iPods rose $3.2 billion, or 248 percent, during 2005 compared to 2004. The company said it sold 22.5 million iPods in fiscal 2005, an increase of 409 percent from the 4.4 million iPod sold in 2004. Apple has now shipped more than 30 million iPods since the device’s introduction four years ago.

“Strong sales of iPods during 2005 continued to be experienced in all of the company’s operating segments and was driven by strong demand for the iPod shuffle introduced in January 2005, the release of an updated version of the iPod mini in February 2005, the release of the iPod nano in September 2005, and expansion of the iPod’s distribution network,” Apple said in the filing.

Apple said that net sales of other music related products and services, which consists of sales associated with the iTunes Music Store and iPod accessories, increased $621 million, or 223 percent, compared to last year.

“The company has experienced strong growth in sales of iPod services and accessories consistent with the increase in overall iPod unit sales for 2005,” Apple said. “The increased sales from the iTunes Music Store is primarily due to substantial growth of net sales in the U.S. and expansion in Europe, Canada, and Japan.”

Get your creative juices flowing because you could easily win one of several Vaja gift cards just for coming up with a clever slogan. We’ve just kicked off our ”Vaja Slogan Contest” in which we’re giving away 45 $100 Vaja gift cards and a grand prize of one $500 gift card to iLoungers who come up with the best new slogans for the iPod case maker.

Simply check out Vaja’s ads on page 29 of the iLounge Holiday Buyers’ Guide, page 12 of the Free iPod Book, and Vaja’s web site to get familiar with their products. Then, think of a new slogan that matches the company’s products and philosophy, and submit it here. Vaja will choose the best entries and award the gift cards. The contest ends December 23, 2005 11:59 p.m. PT.

PodsPlus has announced the availability of its new aluminum case for fifth-generation iPods. Available in black or silver for both the 30GB and 60GB iPods, the case is made from aircraft grade anodized aluminum and comes with an optional neck strap and swivel belt clip. The $30 case also features a neoprene-lined interior, a clear plastic screen protector, and access to the click wheel, dock connector, headphone jack and hold switch.

Elgato Systems has released a software update for its Mac-based EyeTV digital video recorder that allows users to easily export recordings to formats optimized for the new video-enabled iPods.

“With EyeTV 1.8.4, EyeTV users can now export their EyeTV recordings to a video-capable iPod using two new preset formats,” explains the company. “One preset uses QuickTime H.264 compression, Apple’s preferred format. The second preset uses MPEG-4 compression, which encodes up to five times faster than H.264 and has higher resolution output. The MPEG-4 preset is recommended as it provides the best quality for viewing either on an iPod screen or on a TV screen. Neither preset requires QuickTime Pro.”

Apple has accused a Korean music player maker of illegally copying the design of the iPod mini. Iops, the fifth-largest MP3 player seller in South Korea, received a complaint from Apple in October which demanded the company stop selling two of its models—Iops Jock and Iops Z3—because they rip-off Apple’s designs.

In the letter sent to Iops, Apple also asked that the company compensate the iPod maker for lost sales, and demanded an official apology to be printed in more than two of the daily newspapers in South Korea. “Iops rebuffed the claim, saying it is waiting for further action from Apple,” The Korea Times reports. “The Korean firm said that it is expecting an international legal suit from Apple.”

IDG World Expo today announced that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will once again deliver the opening keynote address at next month’s Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco. The event is being held at the Moscone Convention Center January 9-13, 2006. The keynote will begin at 9:00 a.m. PT on Tuesday, January 10, 2006.