Wow, the holiday iPod sales estimates just keep creeping upwards. The first number we heard kicked around was 2.68 million, as predicted by newly-assimilated analyst Steven Milunovich of Merrill Lynch; at the time we remarked how low that seemed to us, because 34% quarter-to-quarter growth, while nice, sounds a bit skimpy for a must-have product during the holiday shopping season, especially with iPod sales having grown by 134% in the previous quarter and the iPod Photo and the iPod U2 Special Edition now joining the party. Forget EF Hutton, though-- when AtAT talks, people listen, because at some point Mr. Milunovich apparently boosted his estimate to an even 3 million, and then just bumped it again to 3.5 million a couple of days ago. (Gee, and we don't even have ties to the mob!) Meanwhile, Think Secret reports that Apple's own soothsayers are predicting sales of over 4 million iPods before the calendar year is out. Gol-ly.

To point out the obvious, that's a whole lotta iPods, folks, and Apple's going to need all the help it can get to sell them all. True, between Apple's own retail stores and its third party resellers, the iPod has excellent retail coverage these days-- and while we doubt that Apple's alleged 4 million sales projection includes HP iPods, there are plenty of new vendors selling those, as well. (You know, vendors that Apple itself wouldn't have touched with a ten-foot pole: QVC home shopping network, anyone?) Still, every little bit helps, so while Amazon has sold iPods of various flavors for ages, now, it's still very good news that the company has decided to turn up the volume a little.

See, faithful viewer Jon Slaton informs us that, as reported by iPodlounge, Amazon has launched a new iPod Store. Or sort of launched it, anyway; if you poke around in it a little, certain showrooms are still populated largely with echoes and tumbleweeds blowing across the floor. (We're quite certain that there should be more accessories listed than just the AppleCare for iPod Protection Plan, for example.) But every current model of iPod is collected right there in one handy place, and once Amazon fleshes out the rest of it and gives it an official coming-out party, we're sure that prominent links to it will be plastered all over Amazon.com like oatmeal on the keynote speaker at the annual Food Fighters Anonymous Meet 'n' Greet Breakfast. After all, Amazon's no dope; consumers will spend a billion-plus dollars on iPods over the next month and a half, and Amazon wants its share.

Unsurprisingly, we here at the AtAT compound welcome the advent of Amazon's iPod Store, since, unlike Apple, Amazon actually pays us when we send them iPod customers. So if you're in the market for an iPod or three in these last 45 shopping days before Christmas, provided you don't need any of them laser-engraved with an embarrassing pet name or the phone number of your therapist, consider buying them here; Amazon generally doesn't charge sales tax like the Apple Store does, you can opt for free standard shipping because you're ordering nice and early, and you'll be bankrolling us at no extra cost to yourself. What could be better?

By the way, if the concept of an online iPod Store strikes you as somehow familiar, well, you've actually been paying attention or something, because Apple launched one at the Apple Store a couple of weeks ago. Interestingly, we recently characterized the Apple Store's new customer review feature as further evidence of the Amazonification of Apple's online store, but now it looks as if both sites are mutually converging toward the same Applezon.com ideal. Expect news of the merger any day now.