If rumors are to believed Apple computer is planning a number of iPod companions. I am going to go out on a limb and say Apple probably can't deal with the success other companies have with iPod accessories and decided it was time to make some accessory cash.

According to sources spilling to AppleInsider

Sources familiar with the company's plans describe the new products as "iPod companions" rather than "accessories," and say Apple appears ripe to announce the first of the gadgets as early as the second week of January at the annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Calif.

One such product described to AppleInsider is an iPod boombox "unlike anything seen in boombox world" and strikingly different from "anything Apple has released in the past."

Details of the device are few and far between, but one source called the gadget an oversized iPod with boombox-type speakers. "It's ideal for use on a bookshelf or on the go," the source said.

The device is rumored to include wireless audio streaming capabilities, but could also rely on a built-in hard drive, iPod dock, or a combination of the three technologies. Nevertheless, the Cupertino, Calif-based iPod maker is expected to market the device as "plug and play music for your home."