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Shipments of the iPod could be done this quarter, the first ever such decline. An analyst at Piper Jaffray looked over the NPD numbers from January till now and found shipments in the 9.5 million to 10.3 million range. AppleInsider reminds us that, even if the final number turns out to be in the middle of that range, it would still represent a 6 percent shipment decline. And you can bet Wall Street won’t be too pleased with that.

But what’s Apple to do? It recently started to diversify its entertainment offerings, launching iTunes movie rentals and an improved Apple TV; it’s clear Apple isn’t totally relying on the iPod to carry the day (though it recently cut the price of the iPod Shuffle).

Apple in trouble? I’m gonna guess “no,” though I do feel like a tool for having bought a MacBook 10 days ago. Hopefully I can trade-up for free or pay the difference.

Report: iPod shipments tracking towards first yearly decline [AppleInsider]