The first third-party iPod product to carry the official seal of approval from Apple on its box has shipped, in the shape of Macally's new IceTune portable speaker system. The product and its merchandise is the first to carry the "Made For iPod" logo, a new scheme from the iPod maker designed to help consumers choose add-ons for their portable music player.

According to Apple, the program is designed to ensure that peripherals will work correctly with the intended model of iPod, providing a level of reassurance to customers over the product. However, the scheme has proved controversial in some quarters, as Apple is understood to take a percentage of the wholesale price of the product - believed to be in the region of 10% - in return for rights to display the logo.

Although the majority of larger peripheral makers have supported the campaign publicly, some smaller vendors have raised private concerns that, for add-ons which aren't big sellers, the flat-rate percentage could be a serious disincentive.

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in ExtremeiPod.