The iPod Has Turned Apple into a SuperbrandNo single brand could be compared to Apple's iP

The iPod Has Turned Apple into a Superbrand

No single brand could be compared to Apple's iPod, which is expected to be the hottest gift over the holiday season. In the three months to December 31st, Apple sold 14m digital music players, compared with 4.5m in the same period in 2004. The iPod (19) a product category, as Sony's Walkman once did when music was delivered on cassette instead of over the internet. And (20) Apple's iTunes Music Store accounting for 80% of legal music downloads, the Californian company now has a brand that marketers hold in awe. But can Apple also use its new brand power to sell (21) computers？

At Apple's annual Macworld event on January 10th, Steve Jobs, the company's chief executive, unveiled what many fans had been (22) : the first Macintosh computers based on chips made by Intel, which also power the vast (23) of personal computers that run Microsoft's Windows operating system. Apple hopes the high performance of its new Intel-based Macs will help it (24) market share from makers of Windows-based PCs.

But the "halo effect" from the iPod remains Apple's most (25) means of boosting sales of its computers. Surveys suggest that some 10-20% of PC users who buy an iPod subsequently go on to buy a Mac. In 2005 the iPod helped the company to (26) its share of the personal-computer market from 3% to 4%. Apple's challenge is that getting people to buy an iPod, a new type of device, is (27) than getting them to switch loyalties in an existing product category.

The most powerful factor working in Apple's favour is peer (28) : what friends and relatives have to say about products is now the most (29) form. of consumer advice, and to be seen with (30) different can be almost taboo. That is why millions of people said they wanted an iPod for Christmas, and not a digital-music player from another manufacturer—even though rival players are often cheaper than iPods. and generally have more (31) .

During the years it (32) in Microsoft's shadow, Apple (33) from having a distinctive, counter-cultural brand. But given its dominance in digital music, where it is anything but the underdog, how long can Apple keep its cool？

(19)

A．creates

B．produces

C．defines

D．invests