[WildTurkey]

Are iPods really that much better than the competitors?

Maybe but do you want to have your entire music library locked into a proprietary system when MS and the other vendors relegate iPods to 3% of the market?

[Richard Kimball]

iTunes playes the MP3 and MP4 format, as do iPods. Your statement makes no sense.

[SaveTheChief]

Maybe but do you want to have your entire music library locked into a proprietary system when MS and the other vendors relegate iPods to 3% of the market?

The .AAC format of the iTunes files can easily be saved in either MP3, or regular CD Audio formats, with the use of the iTunes software itself. It takes less than two minutes for me to burn a CD that I can play in the car or any other CD player. I cannot fathom another product being any easier to use, or any more friendly for file conversion.

Perhaps you didn't know this. Now you do.

[N3WBI3]

Huh you think iPods are only 3% of the MP3 player market? The last estimate I saw put the iPod at about 90% of the market (almost as dominate in its market as windows is in the desktop OS market). Also sells ipods .iPod's can play straight MP3's (though AAC's are really nice for audio books) the world standard for digital music..

So how exactly does the iPod lock you into a proprietary system?

[Middle Aged White Male]

Maybe but do you want to have your entire music library locked into a proprietary system when MS and the other vendors relegate iPods to 3% of the market? In what way are you locked into a propietary system? You can use an iPod on windows or mac machines with iTunes. You aren't locked into iTunes either. Which 3% are you talking about? Do you mean the current market share of the mac? iPods are currently at least 70% of the mp3 player market.