now getting into an arguement over whether the ipod is the best or not is probably a bad idea, but it is a lot better than most of the haters say. i mean it's one thing when people that are buying into a fad are buying crap, but apple's ipod is not exactly a crappy device.

the fit and finish are without question better than any other mp3 player available. there are some others that are pretty good, but the ipod is at the very least at the lead of the pack in that category. the materials are better and it just feels well made and expensive. the creative zen series is nice, but the materials are inferior (plastic, and much lower quality plastic abound). the interface is pretty much the best. i mean creative would love to just be able to use the clickwheel. it's a better way to get around on a device this size.

i'd be saying the same things about people being sheep except that the ipod is a little better for most people for the extra few bucks. it's not like it's double the price of other players. i know you can get old old creative xens for half the price of a the same capacity brand new ipod, but you can't get the latest creative for half the price of the latest ipod. for most people, who are less skilled with computers, itunes is easy as pie, even though it restricts them in some ways, not being able to figure out the software is a whole lot more restrictive.

apple just has a great product from construction to design to software to accessories. it's the standard, and for once the standard isn't a crappy product.