Editing Portable media player (section)

==History==
{{see also|Portable audio player#History}}

Today, every smartphone also serves as a portable media player; however, prior to the rise of smartphones in the 2007{{En dash}}2012 time frame, a variety of handheld players were available to store and play music. The immediate predecessor to the portable media player was the [[portable CD player]] and prior to that, the [[personal stereo]]. In particular, [[Sony]]'s [[Walkman]] and [[Discman]] are the ancestors of digital audio players such as the Apple iPod.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Southerton |first1=Dale |title=Encyclopedia of Consumer Culture |date=2011 |publisher=[[SAGE Publishing]] |isbn=9780872896017 |page=515 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l5sv5aqVN3MC&pg=PA1515}}</ref>

There are several types of MP3 players:
* Devices that play [[CD]]s. Often, they can be used to play both audio CDs and homemade data CDs containing MP3 or other digital audio files.
* Pocket devices. These are solid-state devices that hold digital audio files on internal or external media, such as [[memory card]]s. These are generally low-storage devices, typically ranging from 128MB to 1GB, which can often be extended with additional memory. As they are solid state and do not have moving parts, they can be very resilient. Such players may be integrated into USB flash drives.
* Devices that read digital audio files from a hard drive. These players have higher capacities, ranging from 1.5 to 100&nbsp;GB, depending on the hard drive technology. At typical encoding rates, this means that thousands of songs—perhaps an entire music collection—can be stored in one MP3 player. Apple's popular iPod player is the best-known example.

===Early digital audio players===
British scientist [[Kane Kramer]] invented the first digital audio player,<ref name="kanekramer.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.kanekramer.com/#!About|title=Kane Kramer - The Inventor of the Digital Audio Player|website=www.kanekramer.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527132741/http://www.kanekramer.com/#!About|archive-date=27 May 2017|df=dmy-all}}{{self-published inline|date=May 2023}}</ref> which he called the [[IXI (digital audio player)|IXI]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kanekramer.com/downloads/IXI-Report.pdf |title=IXI Systems |access-date=2016-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229101656/http://www.kanekramer.com/downloads/IXI-Report.pdf |archive-date=29 December 2016 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> His 1979 prototypes were capable of up to one hour of audio playback but did not enter commercial production. His UK patent application was not filed until 1981 and was issued in 1985 in the UK and 1987 in the US.<ref>{{cite patent |invent1=Kramer, Kane N. |invent2=Campbell, James S. |country=US |number=4667088 |issue-date=1987 |title=Portable data processing and storage system}}</ref> However, in 1988 Kramer's failure to raise the £60,000 required to renew the patent meant it entered the public domain.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2008/09/briton-invented/|title=Briton Invented iPod, DRM and On-Line Music in 1979|magazine=Wired|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327175756/https://www.wired.com/2008/09/briton-invented/|archive-date=27 March 2017|df=dmy-all|last1=Sorrel|first1=Charlie}}</ref> [[Apple Inc.]] hired Kramer as a consultant and presented his work as an example of [[prior art]] in the field of digital audio players during their litigation with [[Burst.com]] almost two decades later.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/story/british-man-says-he-invented-ipod-in-1979 British Man Says He Invented iPod in 1979], Fox News Channel, 9 September 2008</ref> In 2008, Apple acknowledged Kramer as the inventor of the digital audio player<ref name="kanekramer.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-admits-it-didnt-invent-the-ipod/|title=Apple admits it didn't invent the iPod|date=7 September 2008|website=cnet.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229101323/https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-admits-it-didnt-invent-the-ipod/|archive-date=29 December 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| width             = 150
| image1            = FlashPAC.jpg
| image2            = ListenUp player.jpg
| footer            = Two early DAPs from 1996: FlashPAC and Listen Up
}}

The Listen Up Player was released in 1996 by Audio Highway, an American company led by [[Nathan Schulhof]]. It could store up to an hour of music, but despite getting an award at CES 1997 only 25 of the devices were made.<ref>{{cite web|title=Teknik vi minns – 14 prylar som var före sin tid|url=https://m3.idg.se/2.1022/1.506083/tekniker-prylar-som-var-fore-sin-tid/sida/2/prylar-vi-minns-8-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413185756/https://m3.idg.se/2.1022/1.506083/tekniker-prylar-som-var-fore-sin-tid/sida/2/prylar-vi-minns-8-14|archive-date=13 April 2018|access-date=8 May 2018|website=idg.se|language=sv}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ha|first=Peter|date=25 October 2010|title=All-TIME 100 Gadgets - TIME|url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2023689_2023681_2023609,00.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020164221/http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2023689_2023681_2023609,00.html|archive-date=20 October 2017|access-date=8 May 2018|magazine=TIME|via=content.time.com}}</ref> That same year [[AT&T]] developed the FlashPAC digital audio player which initially used AT&T's [[Perceptual Audio Coder]] (PAC)<ref>J.D.Johnston, D. Sinha, S. Dorward, and S. R. Quackenbush, AT&T Perceptual Audio Coding (PAC), pp. 73–82, in Collected Papers on Digital Audio Bit-Rate Reduction, N. Gilchrist and C. Grewin, eds, Audio Engineering Society Publications, 1996</ref> for music compression, but in 1997 switched to [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]].<ref>J.D.Johnston, J. Herre, M. Davis, and U.Gbur, MPEG-2 NBC Audio&nbsp;– Stereo and Multichannel Coding Methods, Proceedings of the 101st Convention, 1996 November, Los Angeles</ref> At about the same time AT&T also developed an internal Web-based music streaming service that had the ability to download music to FlashPAC.<ref>{{cite conference|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6N5T1Dw_gTQcGt3VWh3SXF2Yjg/view?pli=1 |title=Consumer Devices for Networked Audio|last1 = Onufryk| first1 = Peter|last2 = Snyder| first2=Jim|  conference=Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics|year=1997|volume=1|pages=SS27–SS32}}</ref> AAC and such music downloading services later formed the foundation for the Apple iPod and iTunes.<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Early Digital Music Player – AT&T FashPAC|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXRZX6vOctM|publisher=CNN Business Week 7 March 1997|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510220055/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXRZX6vOctM|archive-date=10 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The first production-volume portable digital audio player was '''{{vanchor|The Audible Player}}'''<!-- Don't delete this anchor, linked from other pages, unless you know the resulting consequences --> (also known as MobilePlayer, or Digital Words To Go) from [[Audible.com]] available for sale at the end of 1997, for $199. It only supported playback of digital audio in Audible's proprietary, low-bitrate format which was developed for spoken word recordings. Capacity was limited to 4&nbsp;MB of internal flash memory, or about 2 hours of play, using a custom rechargeable battery pack. The unit had no display and rudimentary controls.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.audible.com/audible/9_15_97.html |title=Audible Player Will Mark the First Time Consumers Can Access RealAudio Programming Away from the PC |access-date=20 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980118092012/http://www.audible.com/audible/9_15_97.html |archive-date=18 January 1998 }}, Press Release from Audible Inc., archived by archive.org 18 January 1998</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.audible.com/audible/the_player.html |title=The Audible Player for sale |access-date=20 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980118091417/http://www.audible.com/audible/the_player.html |archive-date=18 January 1998 }}</ref>

===The MP3 standard===
[[MP3]] was introduced as an [[audio coding standard]] in 1992.<ref name="dis-1992">{{ cite web | url = http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/meetings/london/london_press.htm | title = MPEG Press Release, London, 6 November 1992 | author = ISO | date = 6 November 1992 | publisher = Chiariglione | access-date = 17 July 2010  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100812034709/http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/meetings/london/london_press.htm | archive-date = 12 August 2010 }}</ref> It was based on several [[audio data compression]] techniques, including the [[modified discrete cosine transform]] (MDCT), [[FFT]] and [[psychoacoustic]] methods.<ref name="Guckert">{{cite web |last1=Guckert |first1=John |title=The Use of FFT and MDCT in MP3 Audio Compression |url=http://www.math.utah.edu/~gustafso/s2012/2270/web-projects/Guckert-audio-compression-svd-mdct-MP3.pdf |website=[[University of Utah]] |date=Spring 2012 |access-date=14 July 2019}}</ref> MP3 became a popular standard format and as a result most digital audio players after this supported it and hence were often called '''MP3 players'''.

While popularly being called MP3 players at the time, most players could play more than just the MP3 file format. Players also sometimes supported [[Windows Media Audio]] (WMA), [[Advanced Audio Coding]] (AAC), [[Vorbis]], [[FLAC]], [[Speex]] and [[Ogg]].

=== First portable MP3 player ===
The first portable MP3 player was launched in 1997 by [[SaeHan Information Systems]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x30ovxn2eCcC&pg=PA75|title=Roberto Verganti, Design-Driven Innovation: Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating What Thing Mean. Harvard Business Press, 2009|isbn=9781422136577|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018013152/https://books.google.de/books?id=x30ovxn2eCcC&pg=PA75|archive-date=18 October 2017|df=dmy-all|last1=Verganti|first1=Roberto|date=12 August 2009|publisher=Harvard Business Press }}</ref> which sold its [[MPMan F10]] player in [[South Korea]] in spring 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/bragging-rights-to-the-worlds-first-mp3-player/|title=Bragging rights to the world's first MP3 player|date=25 January 2005|website=cnet.com|access-date=8 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231010900/https://www.cnet.com/news/bragging-rights-to-the-worlds-first-mp3-player/|archive-date=31 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6450_7-5622055-1.html|title=Introducing the world's first MP3 player|last=Van Buskirk|first=Eliot|publisher=[[CNET]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090121150259/http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6450_7-5622055-1.html|archive-date=21 January 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In mid-1998, the South Korean company licensed the players for North American distribution to Eiger Labs, which rebranded them as the EigerMan F10 and F20.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/10/ft_first_mp3_player/|title=Ten years old: the world's first MP3 player|work=The Register|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808220936/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/10/ft_first_mp3_player|archive-date=8 August 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The flash-based players were available in 32&nbsp;MB or 64&nbsp;MB (6 or 12 songs) storage capacity and had a LCD screen to tell the user the song currently playing.

The first car audio hard drive-based MP3 player was also released in 1997 by MP32Go and was called the MP32Go Player. It consisted of a 3&nbsp;GB IBM 2.5" hard drive that was housed in a trunk-mounted enclosure connected to the car's radio system. It retailed for $599 and was a commercial failure.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/10/ft_first_mp3_player/|title=Ten years old: the world's first MP3 player|date=10 March 2008|website=theregister.com|access-date=15 May 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Diamond Rio PMP300.jpg|thumb|left|[[Rio PMP300]], one of the earliest marketed DAPs, which plays music in the MP3 format.]]
The [[Rio PMP300]] from [[Diamond Multimedia]] was introduced in September 1998, a few months after the MPMan, and also featured a 32&nbsp;MB storage capacity. It was a success during the holiday season, with sales exceeding expectations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.antiqueradio.com/Dec04_Menta_mp3pt1.html|title=Collecting MP3 Portables – Part 1|last=Menta|first=Richard|publisher=Antique Radio Classified|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041207005424/http://www.antiqueradio.com/Dec04_Menta_mp3pt1.html|archive-date=7 December 2004|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Interest and investment in digital music were subsequently spurred from it.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://news.harmony-central.com/Newp/1998/Rio-PMP300.html|date=14 September 1998|title=Diamond Multimedia Announces Rio PMP300 Portable MP3 Music Player|access-date=5 December 2007|publisher=Harmony Central|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206091013/http://news.harmony-central.com/Newp/1998/Rio-PMP300.html|archive-date=6 December 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The [[RIAA]] soon filed a lawsuit alleging that the device abetted illegal copying of music, but Diamond won a legal victory on the shoulders of ''[[Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.]]'' and MP3 players were ruled legal devices. Because of the player's notoriety as the target of a major lawsuit,<ref name="mp3">{{cite book|last=Hart-Davis| first=Guy|author2=Rhonda Holmes|title=MP3 Complete|publisher=Sybex|location=San Francisco|year=2001|isbn=0-7821-2899-8|page=613}}</ref> the Rio is erroneously assumed to be the first digital audio player.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com/Bragging+rights+to+the+worlds+first+MP3+player/2010-1041_3-5548180.html|title=Bragging rights to the world's first MP3 player}} [[CNET]] article on the first manufactured digital audio players.</ref>

Eiger Labs and Diamond went on to establish a new segment in the portable audio player market and the following year saw several new manufacturers enter this market. The PMP300 would be the start of the [[Rio (digital audio players)|Rio]] line of players. Noticeably, major technology companies did not catch on with the new technology, and instead young startups would come to dominate the early era of MP3 players.

=== Other early MP3 portables ===
Other early MP3 portables included the [[Creative Nomad|Creative Labs Nomad]] and the [[RCA Lyra]]. These portables were small and light, but had only enough memory to hold around 7 to 20 songs at normal 128&nbsp;kbit/s compression rates. They also used slower parallel port connections to transfer files from PC to player, necessary as most PCs then used the [[Windows 95]] and [[Windows NT|NT]] operating systems, which did not have native support for [[USB]] connections.

=== Emergence of hard-drive-based players ===
In 1999 the first hard drive based DAP using a 2.5" laptop drive, the [[Personal Jukebox]] (PJB-100) designed by [[Compaq]] and released by [[Remote Solution|Hango Electronics Co]] with 4.8&nbsp;GB storage, which held about 1,200 songs, and pioneered what would be called the jukebox segment of digital music portables.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20000818S0035|last=Yoshida|first=Junko|author2=Margaret Quan|title=OEMs ready to roll on jukeboxes for Net audio|page=1|publisher=[[EE Times]]|date=18 August 2000|access-date=5 December 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906131627/http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20000818S0035|archive-date=6 September 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> This segment eventually became the dominant type of digital music player.

Also at the end of 1999 the first in-dash MP3 player appeared. The [[Empeg Car]]{{efn|Empeg Car was renamed Rio Car after it was acquired by [[SONICblue]] and added to its Rio line of MP3 products}} offered players in several capacities ranging from 5 to 28&nbsp;GB. The unit did not catch on and was discontinued in the fall of 2001.

[[File:Ipod backlight transparent.png|thumb|upright|The third generation [[iPod Classic|iPod]], which stores audio files on a miniature [[hard disk drive]].]]

=== Rise of South Korean companies ===
For the next couple of years, there were offerings from [[South Korea]]n companies, namely the startups [[iRiver]] (brand of Reigncom), [[Mpio]] (brand of DigitalWay) and [[Cowon]]. At its peak, these Korean makers held as much as 40% world market share in MP3 players.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mobile-review.com/mp3/articles/mpio-history.shtml|title=Mobile-review.com История компании Mpio|website=mobile-review.com}}</ref> These manufacturers however lost their way after 2004 as they failed to compete with new [[iPod]]s. By 2006 they were also overtaken by the South Korean giant [[Samsung Electronics]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mobile-review.com/mp3/articles/vr-mp3-3.shtml|title=Mobile-review.com Диктофон в MP3-плеере. Обзор рынка|website=mobile-review.com}}</ref>

=== Sony's entry in the market ===
[[Sony]] entered the digital audio player market in 1999 with the [[Vaio]] Music Clip and [[Memory Stick]] [[Walkman]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/30/technology/news-watch-new-player-from-sony-will-give-a-nod-to-mp3.html|title=NEWS WATCH; New Player from Sony Will Give a Nod to MP3|newspaper=The New York Times|date=30 September 1999|last1=Marriott|first1=Michel}}</ref> however they were technically not MP3 players as it did not support the MP3 format but instead Sony's own [[ATRAC]] format and [[Windows Media Audio|WMA]]. The company's first MP3-supporting Walkman player did not come until 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://reactionwheel.net/2018/11/itunes-and-the-basis-of-competition-in-the-mp3-player-market.html|title = ITunes and the Basis of Competition in the MP3 Player Market|date = 16 November 2018}}</ref> Over the years, various hard-drive-based and flash-based DAPs and PMPs have been released under the Walkman range.

=== Samsung's YEPP line and Creative's NOMAD Jukebox ===
The [[Samsung YEPP]] line was first released in 1999 with the aim of making the smallest music players on the market.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2014-07-20-gadget-rewind-2005-samsung-yepp-yp-w3-limited-edition.html|title = Gadget Rewind 2005: Samsung YEPP YP-W3 (Limited edition)| date=20 July 2014 }}</ref> In 2000, [[Creative Technology|Creative]] released the 6&nbsp;GB hard-drive-based [[Creative NOMAD]] Jukebox. The name borrowed the [[jukebox]] metaphor popularised by ''Remote Solution'', also used by ''Archos''. Later players in the Creative NOMAD range used [[microdrive]]s rather than laptop drives. In October 2000, South Korean software company [[Cowon Systems]] released their first MP3 player, the CW100, under the brand name [[iAUDIO]]. In December 2000, some months after the Creative's ''NOMAD Jukebox'', [[Archos]] released its [[Archos Jukebox series#Jukebox 5000 and 6000|''Jukebox 6000'']] with a 6&nbsp;GB hard drive. [[Philips]] also released a player called the Rush.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= |magazine=Billboard |page=24 |date=January 22, 2000}}</ref>

===Growth of market===
On 23 October 2001, Apple unveiled the [[first generation iPod]], a 5&nbsp;GB hard drive based DAP with a 1.8" hard drive and a 2" monochrome display. With the development of a spartan [[user interface]] and a smaller form factor, the iPod was initially popular within the [[Macintosh]] community. In July 2002, Apple introduced the second generation update to the iPod, which was compatible with [[Windows]] computers through [[Musicmatch Jukebox]]. iPods quickly became the most popular DAP product and led the fast growth of this market during the early and mid 2000s.

[[File:Bärbar mp3-spelare Archos typ Jukebox 6000.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Archos Jukebox 6000]] released late 2001 was a DAP with a hard disk, one of the earliest of its kind.]]
In 2002, [[Archos]] released the first PMP, the [[Archos Jukebox Multimedia]]<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.archos.com/corporate/press/press_releases/PR_ARCHOS_Gen_5_Availability.pdf|title=ARCHOS Generation 5 Available Worldwide|publisher=Archos|date=12 September 2007|access-date=5 December 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028004929/http://www.archos.com/corporate/press/press_releases/PR_ARCHOS_Gen_5_Availability.pdf|archive-date=28 October 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref> with a little 1.5" colour screen. The next year, Archos released another multimedia ''jukebox'', the [[AV300]], with a 3.8" screen and a 20&nbsp;GB hard drive. In the same year, [[Toshiba]] released the first [[Gigabeat]]. In 2003, [[Dell]] launched a line of portable digital music players called [[Dell DJ]]. They were discontinued by 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2006/feb/09/guardianweeklytechnologysection.dell|title=Why did Dell discontinue its hard drive MP3 player?|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=9 February 2006}}</ref>

The name ''MP4 player'' was a marketing term for inexpensive portable media players, usually from little-known or generic device manufacturers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bj.beareyes.com.cn/2/lib/200510/26/20051026011.htm|title=MP3≠MP4！区别和认识MP3与MP4的不同！|publisher=Beareyes|access-date=11 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011113630/http://bj.beareyes.com.cn/2/lib/200510/26/20051026011.htm|archive-date=11 October 2008|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The name itself is a [[misnomer]], since most MP4 players through 2007 were incompatible with the [[MPEG-4 Part 14]] or the ''.mp4'' container format. Instead, the term refers to their ability to play more file types than just MP3. In this sense, in some markets like Brazil, any new function added to a given media player is followed by an increase in the number, for example an MP5 or MP12 Player,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lista.mercadolivre.com.br/mp12|title=Mp12 &#124; MercadoLivre 📦|website=lista.mercadolivre.com.br}}</ref> despite there being no such corresponding MPEG standards.

[[iRiver]] of South Korea originally made portable CD players and then started making digital audio players and portable media players in 2002. Creative also introduced the [[Creative Zen|ZEN]] line. Both of these attained high popularity in some regions.

In 2004, [[Microsoft]] attempted to take advantage of the growing PMP market by launching the [[Portable Media Center]] (PMC) platform. It was introduced at the 2004 [[Consumer Electronics Show]] with the announcement of the [[Zen Portable Media Center]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnet.com/4520-7912_1-5116568-1.html|title=Microsoft visualizes portable video|date=9 January 2004|access-date=30 December 2007|last=Van Buskirk|first=Eliot|publisher=[[CNET]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225050459/http://www.cnet.com/4520-7912_1-5116568-1.html|archive-date=25 February 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> which was co-developed by [[Creative Technology|Creative]]. The Microsoft [[Zune]] series would later be based on the [[Gigabeat#Gigabeat S|Gigabeat S]], one of the PMC-implemented players.[[File:IRiver H320 FIRMWARE ROCKBOX 20100322.JPG|thumb|200x200px|[[Rockbox]] was developed as a popular free and open source firmware for various PMPs]]In May 2005, flash memory maker SanDisk entered the PMP market with the [[SanDisk Sansa|Sansa]] line of players, starting with the e100 series, and then following up with the m200 series, and c100 series.

Inexpensive generic MP3 players also became popular during the mid 2000s. Many of these were based on the [[S1 MP3 player]] and included knock-offs of official brands.

In 2007, Apple introduced the [[iPod Touch]], the first iPod with a multi-touch screen. Some similar products existed before such as the [[iRiver Clix]] in 2006. In South Korea, sales of MP3 players peaked in 2006, but started declining afterwards. This was driven partly by the launch of mobile television services (DMB), which along with increased demand of movies on the go led to a transition away from music-only players to PMPs.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=31245 | title=Korea Times | date=18 September 2008 }}{{dead link|date=April 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> By 2008, more video-enabled PMPs were sold than audio-only players.<ref name="overtake">{{Cite web | url=https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/video-to-overtake-audio-in-mobile-media-players-by-the-end-of-2008 | title=Video to overtake audio in mobile media players by the end of 2008 | date=31 August 2007 }}</ref>

===Brands and popularity throughout the world===
By the mid-2000s and the years after, Apple with its iPod was the best-selling DAP or PMP by a significant margin, with one out of four sold worldwide being an iPod. It was especially dominant in the United States where it had over 70% of sales at different points in time,<ref name="germ"/> is nearest competitor in 2006 being [[SanDisk]].<ref name="review"/> Apple also led in Japan over homegrown makers [[Sony]] and [[Panasonic]] during this time,<ref name="review">{{cite web|title=Mobile-review.com MP3-players – Global markets|url=https://mobile-review.com/print.php?filename=%2Fmp3%2Farticles%2Fmp3-global-en.shtml|access-date=2021-03-26|website=mobile-review.com|archive-date=25 November 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061125191014/https://mobile-review.com/print.php?filename=%2Fmp3%2Farticles%2Fmp3-global-en.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> although the gap between Apple and Sony had closed by about 2010.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2009/09/walkman-outsells-ipod-in-japan/|title = Walkman Outsells iPod in Japan|magazine = Wired|last1 = Sorrel|first1 = Charlie}}</ref> In South Korea, the market was led by local brands iRiver, Samsung and [[Cowon]] as of 2005.<ref name="Smith">{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Tony |title=iPod fails to impress South Koreans|url=https://www.theregister.com/2005/08/11/apple_ipod_sk/|access-date=March 26, 2021|website=www.theregister.com}}</ref>

European buying patterns differed; while Apple was in a particularly strong position in the United Kingdom, continental Western Europe generally preferred cheaper, often Chinese rebranded players under local brands such as [[Grundig]].<ref name="germ"/> Meanwhile, in Eastern Europe including Russia, higher priced players with improved design or functionality were preferred instead. In South Korea makers like iRiver and Samsung were particularly popular, as well as such OEM models under local brands. [[Creative Labs|Creative]] was the top-selling maker in its home country of Singapore. In China, local brands Newman, DEC and Aigo were noted as the top vendors as of 2006.<ref name="review"/>

===Other categories===
[[File:Draagbare spelcomputer PSP (Playstation Portable), merk Sony, zwart, objectnr 86498.JPG|thumb|[[PlayStation Portable]]]]
The ''Samsung SPH-M2100'', the first mobile phone with built-in MP3 player was produced in [[South Korea]] in August 1999.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Telecompaper BV |title=SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS UNVEILS SPH-M2100 PHONE |date=August 1999 |url=http://www.telecompaper.com/news/samsung-electronics-unveils-sphm2100-phone--182214 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728080403/http://www.telecompaper.com/news/samsung-electronics-unveils-sphm2100-phone--182214 |archive-date=28 July 2013 }} ()</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=I4U NEWS |title=First MP3 Mobile Phone already in 1999 on the market |author=Luigi Lugmayr |date=December 2004 |url=http://www.i4u.com/7064/first-mp3-mobile-phone-already-1999-market |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507055125/http://www.i4u.com/7064/first-mp3-mobile-phone-already-1999-market |archive-date=7 May 2013 }} ()</ref> The ''Samsung SPH-M100 (UpRoar)'' launched in 2000 was the first mobile phone to have MP3 music capabilities<ref name="iMobile">{{cite web|url=http://www.imobile.com.au/whatsnew/default.asp?ID=whatsep0001 |title=Samsung launched the World's first MP3 mobile phone – iMobile |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502123021/http://www.imobile.com.au/WhatsNew/default.asp?ID=whatsep0001 |archive-date=2 May 2013 }}</ref> in the US market. The innovation spread rapidly and by 2005, more than half of all music sold in South Korea was sold directly to mobile phones and all major handset makers in the world had released MP3 playing phones. By 2006, more MP3-playing mobile phones were sold than all stand-alone MP3 players. Apple cited the rapid rise of the media player in phones as a primary reason for developing the [[iPhone]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} In 2007, the number of phones that could play media was over 1&nbsp;billion.{{citation needed|date=August 2011}} Some companies created music-centric sub-brands for mobile phones, for example the former [[Sony Ericsson]]'s [[Walkman]] range or [[Nokia]]'s [[XpressMusic]] range, which have extra emphasis on music playback and typically have features such as dedicated music buttons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.financialexpress.com/archive/music-to-the-ear/329579/|title = Music to the ear|date = 2 July 2008}}</ref>[[File:Newsmy ManMan A3.jpg|thumb|An "MP4 player" from Newsmy, a major PMP manufacturer in China]]Mobile phones with PMP functionalities such as video playback also started appearing in the 2000s. Other non-phone products such as the [[PlayStation Portable]] and [[PlayStation Vita]] have also been considered to be PMPs.
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===Decline and contemporary===
[[File:NW-A35.png|thumb|A recent player, Sony [[Walkman A Series|Walkman NW-A35]], focusing on audiophilic capabilities such as the ability to play [[Direct Stream Digital]] (DSD)]]

PMPs have declined in popularity after the late 2000s due to increasing worldwide adoption of [[smartphone]]s that include PMP functionalities. Sales peaked in 2007 and market revenue peaked in 2008 at {{usd|21.6 billion}}. Mobile phones that could play music outsold DAPs by almost three to one in 2007.<ref name="germ" />

In the [[EU]], demand for MP3 players peaked in 2007 with 43.5 million devices sold, totalling {{euro|3.8}} billion. Both sales and revenue experienced a double-digit shrinkage for the first time in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://businesscomputingworld.co.uk/mp3-players-have-played-their-last-tune-market-in-decline/ | title=MP3 Players Have Played Their Last Tune, Market in Decline | date=8 April 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308164240/https://businesscomputingworld.co.uk/mp3-players-have-played-their-last-tune-market-in-decline/ | archive-date=8 March 2022 }}</ref> In India, sales of PMPs decreased for the first time in 2012, a few years after the decline in developed economies.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/portable-music-players-sales-plunge-for-the-first-time-in-2012/articleshow/18265297.cms?from=mdr | title=Portable music players' sales plunge for the first time in 2012 | newspaper=The Economic Times | last1=Mukherjee | first1=Writankar }}</ref>

Meanwhile, sales of Apple's best-selling PMP product, the iPod, were eclipsed by the [[iPhone]] in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.businessinsider.com/rise-and-fall-apple-ipod-2020-1?r=US&IR=T | title=The rise and fall of the iPod | website=[[Business Insider]] }}</ref>

DAPs continue to be made in lower volumes by manufacturers such as SanDisk, Sony, iRiver, Philips, Cowon, and a range of Chinese manufacturers namely Aigo, Newsmy, PYLE and ONDA.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/press-release/wired-release/technology-business-corporate-news-products-and-services-portable-audio-players-019d9e891095c8b41eb7cdb8dd634e91|title=MP3 Player Market Trends Evaluation and Revenue Assumption to 2031 &#124;&#124; Apple, Sony, Philips|website=[[Associated Press]]|date=29 January 2021}}</ref> They often have specific selling points in the smartphone era, such as portability or for high quality sound suited for [[audiophile]]s.<!--[[User:Kvng/RTH]]-->