Say what you will about how useless they are, but their interface is simple and funtional, the sound quality is decent, and the aesthetics of the case design (rounded, not square) is well-suited to music on the go.

I’ve owned (hell, still own) a ridiculous number of DAPs, and the iPod is by far my fave. I’m not sold on the nano yet (yes, I bought one, I’m such a slut), but once I get a decent armband for running, it should replace my trusty Rio S35.

99.99% of my tunes aren’t from the iTunes store - they’ve been ripped with iTunes and a number of other encoders. I did spend $15 on a third-party utility to get tunes off the damn thing, but I have found the iTunes/iPod (and Slimserver) combo to exceed my expectations and needs. I don’t look at it as a fashion accessory (I use non-apple buds, ’cause the Apple phones blow large chunks), but for the amount of music I listen to while travelling/on the go, it’s been the best-performing player I’ve owned.