INBOX:In April, Apple announced the sale of its 100 millionth iPod, although NPD Group did bring some "bad news", noting that sales of the digital music player had fallen below 70 per cent market share for the first time since early 2006.
Unfortunately, Microsoft's Zune "iPod-killer", which remains unavailable outside the US, is stuck at 2.5 per cent market share.
How did Apple get this far? Part of the secret of its success has been to allow other manufacturers to hook into the cool factor of the iPod by creating peripherals which add to the whole experience.
Since people could carry thousands of songs around, why couldn't they effectively replace their whole hi-fi set-up with something more appropriate to the 21st century? Here are a few powered speaker docks to consider for your iPod:
The Fatman iTube Valve Dock is a retro-looking iPod speaker dock which looks like it should have been made in the 1950s. The chrome dock is attached to a valve-driven amplifier which does not even come with speakers - you have to buy those separately.
This arrogance is perhaps forgivable given the amazing look of the three valves, which glow a warm orange when you fire up your tunes.
Ask any guitarist whether they would prefer a valve- driven amp over a transistor one and they'll almost always opt for the warmer sound of the valves.
Add in the ability to plug in a CD-player or non-iPod MP3 players, and you have a highly tempting product. Shame about the lack of speakers, however, a fact which perhaps means that its appearance may not be enough to justify the €440 price tag (see Fat-man.co.uk).
If you want the valve look without the price of the Fatman, check out the ironically-named (I hope) i-Steroid2. This features a big bass unit topped off by a single valve, two satellite speakers and click-wheel controls. The sound is warm, but the dock with the actual iPod could do with being made as substantial as the amp itself.
At €235, it's attractively cheaper than the Fatman (see sonicgear.com), if lacking the chrome looks.
The Creative Play Dock500 is really designed for Creative's own Vision:M players, but with a 3.5mm docking plug it will take other players such as the iPod as well. At least that way you can swap players if you ever go off the iPod.
A bass-boost on the rear panel should satisfy fans of deep bass music and you can also bring the dock with you as it will take C batteries.
At €220, the price, as well as the clean white look, is attractive (see creative.com).
Lastly, it may be unfair to compare these speaker docks with the recent Altec Lansing inMotion iMV712, but I just had to mention that this will not only pump out the music but also turns the iPod Video into a complete music and video multicomponent entertainment system, displaying the iPod's videos on an 8½-inch, high-resolution LCD screen (price yet to be announced).
Some extra iPod gadgets:
Need some protection? iSkin makes protective cases for iPods and other computer accessories. Prices for the iPod cases start at €17 (see iskin.com).
The i-Station Traveller is a very small, portable speaker system for your iPod, MP3 player or mobile phone, and costs about €30.
