MP3 player or iPOD?

Tim: "Hey dude! I've just bought a MP3 player. Sony Network Walkman, 20 GB. Even John has bought a Creative MP3 player. What about you?"

Jim: "I have an iPod"!

Most of us have heard a conversation of this type. It shows that Apple is way ahead of its competitors in terms of product conception and delivery. This way, it has been able to carve a niche for itself.

It is of course not a new phenomenon. People refer to photocopiers as Xerox. In India, washing powders are generally called Sabena. There are so many such examples.

Even though Apple has not been able to make iPod a synonym for MP3 players, it has dominated the market perception by making them identify iPod as a different product line altogether!
That is a big success story for Apple. No wonder that a good chunk of its revenues is earned from Ipod sales.