Japanese analyst company BCN Inc. today announced the Sony Walkman digital music player outsold the popular Apple iPod music player line in Japan.
In the week ending on Aug. 30, Sony controlled 43% of the Japanese market, while Apple controlled 42.1%, BCN research indicates. Japanese MP3 players sales slid 13.5% in August from one year ago, which may explain why the Walkman was able to topple the mighty iPod.
The iPod line across the board are more expensive, while Sony continues to market similarly priced -- even some models more expensive -- but Sony's products have additional features. Another problem is that many Japanese consumers are purchasing an iPhone to play music -- not purchasing the iPhone and iPods -- hurting Apple's bottom line even further.
Six of the top 10 sold MP3 players were varying versions of the Walkman, with the remaining spots going to Apple.
In the United States, the iPod has had a firm grip of the MP3 player market since 2003, with at least 60% of the market -- and at several points controlled more than 90% of the market.
"Sony has gained customers seeking less expensive products and those seeking high quality by broadening its lineup," Daiwa Institute of Research analyst Kazuharu Miura told Bloomberg. "But you can't really say Sony regained its competitiveness against Apple unless it improves its market share in the U.S. and Europe."
