When Kirstie Hill bought her Apple iPod digital music player last year, she quickly went out to snare two protective covers, a car adapter to listen to tunes while cruising and an armband to secure the pocket-sized phenomenon when she runs.


The Indialantic, Fla., resident and high school senior estimates that she has spent about $200 on her iPod, which can hold thousands of songs, and plunked down as much as $150 to $200 on various accessories.



Hill says she bought the adapter to enjoy her music on the road, and the covers because she

"didn't want it damaged. I take it to school, and I break stuff like there's no tomorrow. I also bought a gel cover so it wouldn't slide all over the car."

The 18-year-old is part of a growing trend, increasing demand for iPod accessories - there are more than 2,000 covers, adapters, cables, car chargers and even hoodies - with sales expected to hit more than $1.4 billion this year, up from $850 million last year, according to Port Washington, N.Y.-based research firm NPD Group.


Sales estimates for the iPods, which can range in price from $69 to $399, are approaching $5 billion. Apple introduced the player in 2001 for the Macintosh computer and in 2002 for Windows operating systems.

Follow up:

NPD estimates that, for every $3 spent on an iPod, iPod Mini or iPod Nano - Apple sold 32 million iPods last year - consumers spend nearly $1 to find a way to take the music with them or personalize the slim player as an expression of their individuality.


The hottest sellers include plastic, metal or rubber cases; an FM transmitter that allows you to listen to your iPod through your car radio; desktop speakers; and noiseless headphones so you can listen to your favorite tunes without annoying your cubicle neighbors.


That is not just a boost to Apple, but for the accessory manufacturers and retailers - such as Belkin, Bose, Circuit City, Target and others - that make these accessories, which many times are out of stock because consumers are snapping them up so quickly.


Of course, there would be no burgeoning accessories market if the iPod itself hadn't become the apple of consumers' eyes.


Analysts say, in making the iPod - and its big and little sister products - the company stirred together the perfect blend of sleek looks, intuitive menus, and a simple, legal way to get content at a cheap price with its iTunes service. Consumers can download music, videos and movies for as little as $1.99.


The "design and functionality" of many electronic products have equal importance with consumers, says Matthew Kazmierczak, vice president of Washington, D.C.-based American Electronics Association.


Now that the product has reached "cool" status, consumers want to personalize it and be unique, he says, adding that some accessories - like a miniature sweater - might seem silly, but "diversity is critical. You can do more than just change the color."


Apple "makes a great product" with the iPod, but the company has chosen to leave out certain features - voice recording, plugging into your car stereo or accessing memory cards - which gives "opportunities for other companies to create products around it," says Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for the NPD Group.



And when any product

"sells a lot of units, the market creates infinitely creative ways to personalize it, stamp it, take care of it, cover it or hide it," he says. "That represents a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs or other companies with experience in building accessories."

Keeping some of the more popular items in stock is hard, because,

"as soon as we get them in, we are selling them out," says Maribeth Terraglio, who works at a SuperTarget in Viera, Fla. "As a group, iPod accessories are selling very well."

Circuit City spokeswoman Amanda Tate says the iPod is so cemented in the psyche as the choice for digital music that many consumers use the term interchangeably with the generic term MP3 player.


Tate says having a variety of choices when it comes to accessories means there is something for the whole family - a nice desk stereo for mom and dad, a car charger for a busy daughter and toys that dance when you plug the iPod into them.


"We are seeing a lot of interest in the accessories," Tate says.


That means more sales for retailers, sales associate Mark Fosgate says.


He says the hard cases, clear plastic wraps to prevent scratching, remotes and wireless headphones are strong sellers.


One customer bought a $200 iPod, and then shelled out $400 for a set of high-end speakers so they could blast music at a party, Fosgate says.

"We are not a large retail chain or an Apple store," he says. "But we have a steady rate of customers coming in and buying the items."

Fosgate thinks the iPod's popularity will grow because the "market is being refreshed on a regular basis" with new players, accessories, and more television shows, movies and videos available to get more out of the player.


That's good news for Compton, Calif.-based Belkin Corp., a $1 billion-a-year company that says it was one of the first firms to offer iPod accessories. It offers several hundred pieces of equipment, ranging from cables to covers.



The company got into the game because it "liked the potential market growth," says Gavin Downey, director of product management for Belkin's mobility group.

"We worked with Apple on the first iPod and built products specifically for Macs. It's a significant portion of our business."
He says the accessory market has grown so quickly because the various devices can "help consumers integrate the iPod into their lives more effectively. People want to be able to listen to their music in as many places as possible."

That's why high school senior Jackie Burke was so happy when she had an "iPod Christmas," and got many of the accessories she wanted, including a pink case, a car adapter and speakers.


Burke says she likes "having the playlist" available while she is driving, so she "doesn't have to switch CDs or listen to radio stations."

"Some of my friends have a lot of accessories," Burke says. "Every time they get a paycheck, they go buy things for their iPod."

Source: Brian Monroe, Florida Today