in my view iPods are pieces of crap and the constant media barrage touting them as if they are the only MP3 player on the market is disgusting

iPods have a non-replaceable battery with a limited life. so when it dies you are left with a useless device; unless you send it back to Apple at your own expense and have them replace the battery at a ludicrous charge

also, the copy protection restrictions on the iPod are really bad. they delete files off your iPod automatically if you connect it to a computer that does not have all the files that are on your iPod on the computer too. which is ludicrous.

plus they force you to use iTunes, which is also ludicrous

i always recommend everyone to avoid iPod like the plague. get an MP3 player that is recognized as a portable drive. just plug it to the USB port, copy and paste your files, and you're done. no copy-protection BS deleting your files automatically or wasting your time and energy. and make sure that whatever you buy, that the batteries are removable by yourself