10 Reasons Why Apple's iPod Line Is Seriously Running Out of Breath

The first iPod generation appeared a few months after the worst of the last Internet bubble burst was over but with the forthcoming global recession looming, there are growing signs that the iPod line could be sidelined as Apple's main money spinner.

September is traditionally the month when Apple woes prospective Christmas purchasers with a whole array of gadgets and devices but this year was all but overwhelming partly because Steve Jobs is not at the best of his form, although he said that this year was bestowed with "the strongest lineup of iPods we've ever had."

So what are these reasons and symptoms why the iPod's future looks positively bleak?

(a) The global economy is on the brink of recession and you know that there is a blip when Apple starts cutting prices - something that rarely happens. Apple will have to work extra hard to convince existing iPod owners to upgrade their iPods to iPods (not iPhones) and get new converts to get iPods (not iPhones).

(b) The iPhone has changed the game and essentially made it cool for people to listen to music on their phones and made it viable for companies like Sony Ericsson (with its Walkman range) and others to tout their phones as music friendly. Furthermore, many iPhone owners have now either sold or given away their iPods simply because carrying two devices is cumbersome.

(c) Convergence is the name of that new game; smartphones are the perfect illustration of Convergence at its best/worst. Internet, Watching Movies, Listening to Music, Making Calls, Taking Photos, Shooting Videos, Playing games and Writing documents squeezed in a volume smaller than your average pack of cigarette. Most iPods only do one function really well.

(d) Competition is becoming more ferocious: from far-east manufacturers to global brands like Microsoft and Nokia, competition is heating up either by cutting prices or adding features that have yet to be found in the iPod range, like the Zune wireless connectivity.