Hybrid8, I've seen you with your full support of the iPod, and you've stated that we'll all be sorry for buying an Archos player, but you've given no reason.

As far as I've seen the iPod has the benefit of higher quality design and (I admit) a much nicer UI. That's nice, but Mac has also been around for quite a long time. Archos, in only the few short months I've been investigating their players, has improved tremendously in these areas in a very short time. After that, there's the fact that all of Archos' players are less costly, have larger drive sizes, can be upgraded easily, and the AJR can record! Add to that the USB support and you've got a much more usefull file taxi. Almost anyone who's bought a new computer in the last 3 years has USB, but hardly anyone I know has firewire. Granted, that's not a very good excuse, but with USB 2.0 possibly becoming some sort of standard, couldn't there be more longevity for USB devices? (here I may be speaking on a level I don't fully understand, I'm sorry if I am ).

Anyway, all I'm saying is that you could be, just a little, slightly biased, having been, as you say, a Mac user for 5 years. It's more logical that you would buy an iPod. I just don't see anything in your posts that shows me the iPod is the "Current king of portable MP3 devices." Plus, if I want an MP3 player NOW, and don't want to use somebody's unofficial, unsupported third-party software, I can't buy an iPod, can I?

My opinion (as if anyone cared now), the iPod is much more slick, sleak, and speedy. I just can't get into it and soemthing about it turns me off to it. Plus, I'm planning on using the AJR to record A LOT (as much as I listen to it) so I have no use for the iPod.

Oh well, I guess what I'm saying is that you've got yours, I've got mine. To each his own.


ps-I'm getting REALLY sick of that ad with the stupid guy in his apartment who goes dancing out his door. Do they need to play that in every commercial break? (I'm not biased, I also hate the "Ray of Light" XP commercial. I went to see LOTR and it blasted my head off)