Apple Inc (AAPL)

[Bootz]

lango, not sure how relevant the below is, but maybe worth revisiting. Originally posted on 3/30. Point? There are more iPod channels than there used to be.

BEST Buy Says Sales of Flat-Panel TVs, MP3 Players Boost Fourth-Quarter Profit

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- BEST Buy Co., the nation's largest consumer electronics retailer, said Thursday its profit grew 13 percent in its fourth fiscal quarter as sales improved from customers buying bigger-ticket items like flat-panel televisions, MP3 players and laptop computers.

Earnings for the three months ended Feb. 25 rose to $644 million, or $1.29 per share, from $572 million, or $1.13 per share, the previous year. The latest results matched the average earnings estimate from analysts polled by Thomson Financial.

Sales totaled $10.69 billion, a 16 percent increase from $9.23 billion a year earlier and topping the consensus target of $10.53 billion. Same-store sales -- or sales in locations open at least 14 months -- gained 7.3 percent, reflecting a 7.4 percent rise at domestic stores and 6.4 percent growth internationally.

BEST Buy said revenue rose across all of its channels, led by a 50 percent upswing in online sales. Demand for flat-panel TVs and MP3 players drove a 17.7 percent jump in same-store sales of consumer electronics, followed by a modest rise in home office products, the company said.

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Read between the lines, folks: "MP3 players" has gotta be codespeak for iPods.

FWIW