Apple iPod Essentials   Tracking the Pulse of iPod

Looks like iPod is a *HOT* choice this Christmas and Holiday season. InformationWeek is reporting:

According to comScore Networks Inc., a company that tracks consumer activity on the Web, consumers conducted some 6.6 million searches on the term iPod last month. Coming in second in what comScore labels "toy" searches: Xbox 360, the Microsoft gaming console, with 5 million searches. A close third: Harry Potter, with 4.8 million hits. Rounding out the top six toy searches are Star Wars [2.5 million], Barbie [2.1 million], and PlayStation [1.9 million].

A USAToday article reports that many iPod owners are spending as much on accessories as they do on their iPods. Take for example a Louis Vuitton's iPod carrying purse for $250. Most accessories though are more practical, like External Speakers and FM Transmitters. [see: AirPlay FM Transmitter] And parents soon learn that buying their kids an iPod is only the beginning. They get started on the iTunes Music Store buying songs (and now Videos) or demand skins to make their iPods stand out from their friends.