<p>I am certainly not an Apple shill. But, based on the relative pricing and the ubiquitous size of the iTunes/iPod user base, I wouldn’t even look at other brands</p>
<p>I am 
I have only had Apple computers for instance- since 1989 & given the quality despite the slightly higher cost, I have been happy with them.
It really depends what you are going to use the player for
I have a palm pilot- that can play MP3s but Im not really gonna use it for that- ditto with my phone
I also dont want ( at this point) an Mp3 player that I can watch tv shows on.
If I really want to watch a movie, I at least want to watch it on something the size of my laptop.
I also dont mind not having a radio- although I used to really like a cassette player I had long ago, that had a radio as well as got tv stations- the reception was bad ( damn Seattle hills) and it was more frustrating than not.
The not being able to change your battery is a little odd- although I dont know anyone who has ever had to- but if you do, there are lots of after market ways to do so on the web.</p>
<p>I have the 4gb 2nd gen nano- which is plenty of room for pictures and music- although the 8gb would be even better:)
I dont use it to hold everthing- although there are different ways to encode files that dont take up so much room, without loss in sound quality.
If you do get an ipod however, get different headphones- the apple ones arent bad, but they dont stay in my ears at all.
I have Sennheisers for when I am watching movies- great quality for the price & Sony earclips for when working out.</p>
<p>( I like the new shuffle too- so cute!)</p>
<p>I have a Creative Zen Sleek. Carries 20K songs in WMV format, 5K in MP3 format. Not the most intuitive interface, either software wise or on the device itself, but it fits my needs. I hate those little ear buds, though, so I use my old Sony headphones - the big can type, that fit over your entire ear and do an excellent job of blocking out external noise. I look ridiculous as I walk, I’m sure, but I’m comfortable and happy.</p>
<p>Apple 60 GB iPod White (Refurbished) » for $229 at Apple.com</p>
<p>none of the HDD players on the market are really that great due to proprietary formats and software (a trend largely perpetuated by Apple Corp) but I recommend the toshiba gigabeat S30 or the zune for HDD, the ipod is overpriced and has a comparatively bad screen (too small for the form factor)</p>
<p>as for flash players sansa makes some nice ones - the iriver clix and meizu m6 are also very nice (the meizu looks like the ipod so I wouldn’t get it as a gift lol) </p>
<p>the best thing to do is to get one with a reciept and be very clear that you won’t be offended if they want to trade for another one</p>
<p>I’d also avoid buying ANY refurbished device that uses a hard drive unless you are 100% certain it has a new hard drive. Bad idea.</p>
<p>Coming from a member of the iPod generation:
We’re not called that for nothing :). No other company can touch Apple’s ease of use and interface. I would say the only con of an iPod would be the price. The Zune, as well as others, suffer from difficult software.</p>
<p>Also, consider how much music your son would upload. It’s no good getting a 30 gig if all he has adds up to 2 gigs.</p>
<p>.-_-.</p>
<p>Ive bought several refurbed laptops- through the APPLE site- same warranty as brand new & lots cheaper
haven’t bought an ipod that way, but I wouldn’t think it would be a problem</p>
<p>Despite the overwhelming ipod endorsements, I got our son the 30gb Zen from Creative Labs. He is a techie guy so I’m not worried about him figuring the interface stuff out. This is not a suprise gift, he and I both researched the MP3’s and while he liked the ipod’s, he was put off by how everyone else had an ipod and the price was higher. I got the Zen for $199 at Circuit City. He says he knows several free (legal) music sites on the web and will be able to put his music on quickly. Have ordered a skin for it for protection, son will have to upgrade the headphones - as our daughter had to for her ipod.</p>
<p>For those of you that don’t know about this product, it won the Best in Show award from the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2006 <a href=“CNET: Product reviews, advice, how-tos and the latest news”>CNET: Product reviews, advice, how-tos and the latest news; Something different!</p>