As you may know, non-Apple portable media players have long operated under the iPod’s shadow. Even before the multi-featured iPod Touch, Apple PMPs have been selling counterparts with better features. The obvious answer is that iPod has become a product that far outweighs the PMP market in its entirety. So not only can’t second placer SanDisk “out-iPod the iPod,” all its friends including Cowon, Archos, iRiver and even Microsoft’s Zune all have a very big job ahead just trying to get a foothold in the market and in people’s minds. But cloning the iPod can be quite lucrative (see also our iPhone clone page)

[via engadget]