NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Shoppers can now add the iPod to the holiday hot list. Apple's portable music player has become almost as hard to find this season as the Nintendo DS, Microsoft XBox and Sony PlayStation 2.

Even Santa might not be able to get the season's most popular electronics. Shoppers looking for video game consoles are a bit less frustrated than last week, when it was almost impossible to find the Nintendo DS, Microsoft Xbox and Playstation 2, but those looking for iPods may be out of luck.

Brian Lucas, a spokesman at Best Buy headquarters in Minneapolis, said the company decided to pull the iPod off its Web site and ship the entire supply to stores to ensure they had enough stock.

"They're still leaving the shelves quickly, but we're doing a pretty good job about having them in stock," he said. "We've made a real push to try to meet demand, and demand is high."

His advice -- call ahead and try again. It's likely that another shipment is on the way.

While you won't find the iPods at some of the best-known consumer Web sites, most models are still available at Apple stores and on the Apple Web site. They're also a hot item on eBay, which launched a separate iPod category in April.

Apple has sold almost 6 million iPods since they were introduced in 2001, including 2 million in the third quarter of 2004. The line now accounts for about a quarter of Apple's sales, and analysts are predicting another strong quarter.

"It's a runaway hit," said Tim Bajarin, an analyst at Creative Strategies. "Apple has created by far the neatest looking, easiest to use product, which has become a status symbol."

Just last week, some retail Web sites were not promising any Nintendo game consoles before Christmas. EB Games, a popular Web site for buyers of video and other electronic games, advised shoppers that it was "taking orders for 2005" for Nintendo DS players, and Target's Web site said the product would be available in four to eight weeks.

But thanks to efforts on the part of game console makers, many of the major retailers say they're receiving regular shipments and expect even more before Christmas.

To help meet demand, Nintendo agreed last week to airlift 40 percent more shipments to North America by the end of the year. It already has sold more than 1.2 million of the DS, including 700,000 in the United States since it was introduced on Nov. 21.

"Those are all hot items this year, and it's not unusual for outages to occur," said Steve Mullen, a spokesman for Circuit City.

He advised shoppers to check the Circuit City Web site before heading to the mall because it has "real time inventory of all its stores." Customers also can be guaranteed availability if they make their purchases on the Internet and arrange an in-store pickup.

"We're getting supplies of all of these, and we're selling out as soon as we get them," said Best Buy's Lucas.

Other popular holiday items include digital cameras, satellite radios and plasma-screen televisions, according to industry analysts.

"Prices are coming down, and they have the features and benefits people want," said Stephen Baker, director of industry analysis for NPD. One example he cited is plasma TVs. Two years ago they sold for about $3,000, but they're about half that price this year.