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In-Stat found that the Apple portable music player accounted for 49 per cent of the players in circulation in 2005. The market grew to 140 million in 2005 - In-Stat expects it to double to 286 million by 2010 - with Apple's share, if not absolute sales, declining.

The company's 70 per cent plus market share in the US and parts of Europe is not matched elsewhere. In some Asian countries, In-Stat notes, flash memory-based players from other manufacturers sell for as little as £13.50.

However In-Stat analyst Stephanie Guza said the company has little to worry about.

'Apple continues to dominate the market for MP3 players, particularly in the US,' she said. 'Apple competitors continue to face significant challenges, such as a constrained Flash memory supply, device and software integration, and the "cool factor" associated with Apple's iPod line of products.'