In the words of Bill the Cat, "Ack!"
Lest I repeat myself, you can read my thoughts as an iPod user
here , with two notable addendums:
1.) I got my pod for $75. I don't care who you are -- you can't beat that. You can see where my loyalty lies.
2.) There's a thread on iPods vs. some of these other mp3 players on another forum I belong to. Most of the users there point to alot of the same issues that the article raises, though the Apple users remain resolved on a few tight points: a.) Apple has built up a brand that none of these can rival (like it or not, they spent the money); b.) a few of these mp3 players are not as easy as plug 'n play so they're def not for gnubies; and c.) many of these units are just too dang big, something iPod users (part mini users) crave.
.02