Flash Memory-Based Music Players Shipping In Larger NumbersFlash Memory-Based Music Players Shipping In Larger Numbers

The number of shipments of portable digital music players using flash memory instead of hard drives is expected to increase nearly fourfold by 2009, a research firm said Thursday.

Manufacturers are expected to ship 124 million units of the devices toward the end of the decade from 26.4 million units in 2004, International Data Corp. said. Flash memory stores data on a rewritable chip microprocessor, rather than a hard drive. The former has no moving parts and enables manufacturers to build smaller devices, such as Apple Computer's new iPod Nano.

Fueling growth in the flash players, which play a compressed music file called an MP3, are falling prices for memory and players, the availability of paid online media services, and growing consumer demand, IDC said. Music-enabled mobile phones, which are just starting to hit the market, are expected to inhibit growth somewhat.

"Demand for portable MP3 players is booming, as more and more consumers get acquainted with their stylish form factors and digital audio functionality," IDC analyst Susan Kevorkian said in a statement.

The maximum capacity of flash players is expected to reach 8 GB in 2006 and 16 GB by late 2007, IDC said. Flash players last year had maximum storage of 1GB.