That's just plain nonsense. Also, it's not true that iPods last the longest, can you find me any proof of that? Fyi, iPod has alternative firmware as well. You can even run Linux on the darn thing. As for above: What do you guys want to know? Name me a few Apple mp3 players and I'll give you a better alternative. In general, iRiver, Cowon and Archos owns Apple in quality and features. And mostly, the price too. I abandoned my iRiver for my Ipod Video. Ipod has the capacity i need for my music, videos, and photos. huzzah. iRiver doesn't have much video players. They mostly have good flash players and some good low capacity hdd-music players. There are a few good players coming up like the B10, E10 and the G10. All innovative players with new features like being a remote for a tv, or being able to receive tv. For the iPod Video, you could have gotten a Creative Zen Vision:M. That player completely owns an iPod in video quality. I have pics if you want proof.