iPods interface through iTunes is needlessly more complex than it should be. Computer literate people may not mind having to use a program for transfer purposes but it seems like a potentially buggy needless middleman. Plus from what I'm hearing there'll probably be things set up in the near future that iTunes can impliment to see if you have your MP3s lisenced or registered or whatever. i.e. you paid for them online, or ripped them from an actual CD and not just downloaded somewhere.

I would -highly- suggest getting some off brand MP3 player. Most hook up via standard USB (unlike iPod). And once your computer recognizes it, it works like a standard external storage device / hard drive. Meaning you just go to My Computer and there it is. You copy whatever you want on to it. Like moving files in a normal standard fashion. No extra program necissary. You can't do this with an iPod for some reason. I've yet to dink around with my friend's iPod much as they're just too much of a headache, but they seem to store songs as hidden system files or some crap. You can't just copy/paste your media. It has to be through iTunes. Which I don't trust. Because then they can do any legal crap they want with iTunes and you're forced to comply or give up. AND the battery issue. Which Apple may have fixed, I don't know. But last I heard iPods still have an internal battery which is only good for like 500 charges, then it craps out. And you have to send it in and get it repaired/replaced, or buy a battery off eBay or something and look up tutorials online for a needlessly complex battery replacement. Which my friend recently had to do. Or rather, I had to do for him.

Which leads me to really hate iPod as a media device. Its just pretty... nothing more

Mine was a Zen from Creative. Simple copy/paste. Easy pleasy. Screw iTunes :]