"Apple's iPod line has gone months without an update. It's been nearly a year since the portable music player added new capabilities, such as the ability to play video, or appeared in a new form factor, like the slimmed-down nano. In the rapid-fire world of technology toys, that's usually the sign of a product line that's gotten long in the tooth," Mathew Honan reports for Digit. "And yet, iPods continue to fly off the shelves just as fast as Apple can make them."

Honan reports, "The reason for this conventional wisdom-defying turn of events? Analysts and trend watchers credit the iPod for finding a market that isn't as focused on recent product updates as much as it is having one product that 'just works.'"

"'The reason people are buying [iPods] is to play music, and it does that very well,' says Josh Rubin, editor in chief of Cool Hunting, which tracks consumer trends. 'The Macworld [Expo] keynote-watching, blog-reading, Apple obsessed person will watch for the refresh. But the broader consumer base is just interested in having a music player that's easy to use,'" Honan reports.

"Mike McGuire, research vice president at market-research firm Gartner offers another explanation: Many consumers are still making the switch to digital from physical media. And that's helping fuel strong iPod sales even in the absence of updated models," Honan reports.

Full article here.