Think of a number: 82%. What does that number mean to you? How about Apple’s share of the MP3 player market?

And believe it or not, that’s up from 64% a year ago. This level of dominance is comparable to the stranglehold that Microsoft has on the OS market.

Read about it at: iPod Market Share: 82%.

That sort of comparison puts the facts in an interesting light: Who thinks Microsoft will be losing its OS market share anytime soon? Come on, even the most die-hard Apple fans have to acknowledge that Microsoft can simply go on autopilot to maintain its share in the near future and that only its distant future can even begin to be questioned.

Granted, Microsoft’s dominance is in a market that is settled and mature, whereas the digital music market is volatile and still developing. Nevertheless, if Apple can hold on a little while longer, the naysayers will be at a loss as Apple’s relentless hold on the market grows increasingly apparent.