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.

My reasons are based on all the reading I've done on the biggest Archos message board over at www.funmp3players.com

If you prefer the empeg to something like teh Neo, then in the same way, you'd prefer an iPod to something like an Archos.

USB... Everybody has it. Fine, but why should that influence the choice in an MP3 player that YOU will use? If I like Firewire and I can get a Firewire player, then I'll spend $40 on a firewire card. Some graphics cards now ship with Firewire as well (new ATI All in Wonder Radeon 8500).

USB 2.0? That won't change the slow speeds of USB1 on older products like the Archos.

Now... I've been a full-PC user just as long as I've been a full-time Mac user - in fact one year longer. Before that I was a full-time Amiga user. Now, where the two share time in my life? I work on Mac graphics technology. At home, I exclusively run PCs.

The computer usage has little to do with looking at the state of current portable players and admiring the advances and usability of one over another. I appreciate the iPod on its own, for the same reasons I appreciate the empeg. It was primarily designed just to be the coolest and most usable device.

I fully suspect more devices of this kind will hit the market place. Directory-structure based players aren't the most user-friendly for non-computer types.

Bruno