iPods and...Online Banking?

Peter Sargent | April 28, 2005, 05:07 PM

Ok...that's it. I now have unequivocal proof that Apple's iPods have reached the point of mass-market appeal. Throw out all the algorithms, equations, and benchmarks that researchers (such as myself) have used in the past to prove mass-market success.

All you need to know is one thing: even Citibank thinks they need to jump on the iPod bandwagon to gain new online banking customers.

Yep...those funky music lovers from Citibank...

Citibank is now giving away the newest addition to the iPod family (the $99 iPod Shuffle) to any new Citibank.com customer.

http://citi.bridgetrack.com/cbol/iPod/1500/2BP12MM/default.htm?Promo_ID=CD2G&ProspectID=2F7B4E3172AD4907B102BB4A80776C2F&BT_TX=1

All you have to do is open a new online checking account, plunk $1500 into that account, and pay at least 2 bills online each month for an entire year. (Don't worry, you get the Shuffle after the first month of bill paying. A full year from now, the first edition of the Shuffle will be nothing more than an antique paperweight!).

There you go…no abacus or easel needed. Next time you want to know what new products have reached the mass-market…just call Citibank.

But if you insist on more scientific proof of the proliferation of MP3 players, Jupiter is reporting that U.S. shipments of MP3 players will grow 35% to 18.2 million in 2005 and maintain a compound annual growth rate of over 10% through 2010, reaching an installed base of 56.1 million by then, up from 16.2 million in 2004.

Those of you who are Jupiter clients can find this report here:

http://www.jupiterresearch.com/bin/item.pl/research:concept/105/id=96211/