December 2004 was a difficult time for many consumers on the hunt for the more popular Apple iPod models.The strong demand throughout the year apparently didn’t give Apple management a clear enough indication of the demand during the critically important Christmas season. The iPod accounts for approximately 25 percent of total Apple sales, and the shortages of certain models (especially the variously colored iPod minis) hurt not only iPod sales but the sales of other Apple products as well.