I'm no cultist. Check my profile. They all look alike to me.
Sorry if you can't grasp the concept of people spending their money how ever they feel like it without advice from the likes of you.
Easy there, big guy. I'm not telling anyone how to spend their money, and I am not advising anyone on what is the correct product to buy. A bit defensive, aren't we? That isn't what this thread is about. Let me try again: it is about Apple producing a product that is poorly designed, in this case, with respect to the replacement of a battery which, at some point, WILL need to be replaced.
Somehow, you've taken this whole thing as some sort of personal attack on you, as if everyone who is critical of the iPod is saying, "Hey, you're an idiot for buying that thing, you should have bought xyz."
So, is the iPod a "high-end" MP3 player, and should those buying them expect to have to cough up $60 or $99 for a battery replacement plan, or to have to find a $30 battery and open the case (that isn't designed to be opened) themselves? If so, fine. But I still think it's a stupid design. Would it have been so difficult to place the battery in such a way that it could be easily removed and replaced?
See post #349 for more on this topic, as Bush2000 makes the point as well as I could hope to.