View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/05/01/14/ipod.shuffle.in.japan/ Friday, Jan 14, 2005 6:55pm Apple Japan to boost marketshare with iPod shuffle Apple hopes to boost its share of Japan's portable digital music player market to 80 percent from around 50 percent now, according to the Jiji Press English News Service. Apple says it will achieve that goal with the launch of flash memory-based iPod shuffle digital music player in Japan, which is scheduled for January 15. "In Japan, it is expected to retail at around 10,000 yen (US$98), about half the price of similar products sold by other manufacturers....[Apple] has received more prerelease orders for it in Japan than those placed for the iPod mini player.... Sakito also unveiled a plan to launch the iTunes Music Store online music distribution service in Japan within the next 12 months.