I too, have heard both good and bad things about them (mor bad than good), and I haven't even been reading up on them. I'd read some reviews, then see.

It is very popular from a design and ease of use standpoint. I've not seen much on the ruggedness of it though. Also, it costs more than the competition.

Magazine reviewers tend to love the i-Pods to death.

What I read when I was looking is that Ipod is very well put together, it's a solid unit, no removable parts whatsoever. Unfortunately that means you can't take out the battery and replace it. You must send it in when it wears out. And some have said that the battery wears out much earlier than other comparable MP3 players. if under warranty it will be done for free, but afterwards it is a $90 battery.

The music file system on it is also a problem for some people. I don't remember the specifics on that. However, on a positive note you can use the Ipod as a second hard drive for your Mac with no complications.

Windows PC users have more stability problems using the Ipod. They have more interuptions and compatibility issues. And they don't like having to use the Mac for Windows program "Itunes" to make it work.

I looked at all this and said no, especially since the price is on average $100 to $140 more depending on what model and size storage you get.

I personally chose the Creative Nomad Zen. It was made more for PCs than Macs, which I like. It has a pretty good music file system and the interface is easy to transfer music and create playlists.

Some of its shortcomings are that it has a removable battery, on one hand good, on the other it means the unit is not as durable to being dropped as the Ipod. If you need a replacement battery at any time, I think it's only $35. It does come with a carrying case, as does the Ipod, however the Zen case has no front window so you can't see the screen when it's on. Which is no big problem once you let it play, because you'd probably recognize all of your music anyway. Some people just cut holes in the cases to see the screen. The last low point is that I have heard that the ear phone jack does break fairly easily for some reason or another. I have not experienced this myself, but it is a possibility.

I figure with the more fragile case and ear phone jack, as long as I am always careful I would prefer this one for the price, PC and music file system benefits. It can also keep other types of files on the unit (like the Ipod) but it is not as efficient for being a second Hard Drive as the Ipod is. It doesn't allow for folder structure as far as I can tell.

Overall I like the Zen better for it's user capabilities. The fragility of it is not a concern, because I'm always careful and it always stays in it's case. But you may like a different one better. However, I have looked at all the competing models from many different companies and it only came down to these two in my mind.

Sir S

Edited by - Sir Spectre on 5/5/2004 8:13:44 PM

The NOMAD is supposed to be good, but SS is right; the iPod batteries are the things that are reported to go, and they cost HEAPS to replace.