While it’s no surprise to see the iPod accessory market doing great, analysts and industry insiders have recently tried to put a dollar figure on the overall “iPod economy.”
NPD Group, a marketing-analysis firm, estimates that iPod owners will spend $500 million in 2005 on accessories, not including speakers and headphones.
Gavin Downey, a director of product management at Belkin, says that sales come in at more than $300 million annually. Downey said that sales of iPod accessories are actually growing faster, on a percentage basis, than the iPod itself. He noted that in the early days of the iPod there was a relatively low “attach rate” with the device. For every 15 to 20 iPods sold, one accessory was sold. Today, it’s at almost a one-to-one ratio.
