Bowers & Wilkins Crows About Zeppelin’s Success

When British high-end speaker manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins brought out the Zeppelin iPod music system in the fall of 2007, they may have been dabbling in a market that wasn’t their main playground. But now some two years later, the company has staked down bragging rights to a global “embrace,” as they call it, of the chubby little dirigible-shaped iPod speaker/dock. Sales are close to topping 100,000 units, according to a company press release, in what Business Development VP Evert Huizing calls audio’s most competitive market—iPod speakers.

In addition to that whopping number of units sold, the Zeppelin has also garnered its share of industry awards, including the Gold award at the 2008 America International Design Excellence Awards, a “10 Best” from The Robb Report, a “Best Innovations” trophy from CES 2008, a MacWorld 2008 award, and a Playback Recommended award.

At its launch two years ago, the Zeppelin was sold exclusively through the online Apple Store, but more recently Bowers & Wilkins has distributed the product through its own network of retailers in the U.S., the upscale catalogue reseller Frontgate, and in upper-range department store retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and pop sites such as Musicians Friend and Guitar Center.

To learn more about this hefty iPod speaker amp, go to http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Zeppelin.