aac itunes format

Can anybody tell me if the AAC format is as widely used/recognized as the mp3 format for listening to music, whether it's on an ipod, android device, or even (dare I say it) microsoft or sony player? I know mp3 is widely used and accepted but for example, would the aac format be just the same or is it less widely accepted/used?

its less widely used than MP3, yes. its quite common now, and alot of devices play it, but its still nowhere near as common as MP3.

i believe Sony and Zen products can play them along with iPods ETC.

you want compatibility? MP3.

Most Android products also support MP4/AAC. I wouldn't know about Microsoft audio players (ie Zunes) because nobody ever actually bought them.

While MP3 is indeed more universal, 98 percent of people are in the iTunes + iOS or iTunes + Android eco-cycle, so the fact the MP3 is more universal is pretty irrelevant in the year 2011. Five years ago it would have been much more important.

AAC is also a much better codec in general than MP3.