Unless some manufacturer has a way to pack a new feature that does not exist in any player, something like browsing the net via hot spots, or maybe using wi-fi connections to share files between players (not the the RIAA would allow this), or any other feature that really gives some huge advantage over what is already out there.

Do this and offer it at a price competitive to the current Ipod, and then dump large sums of maney to market it properly to get everyone to know about it, and then maybe you’ll have an Ipod killer on your hands.

Releasing a player that has a higher res screen than the Ipod, or a larger hard drive, or a player that can decipher more formats, is not going to appeal to the masses, especially if such a product is priced the same as an Ipod.

The marketing hype will lead the masses to buy the Ipod, even if marginally better players exist.

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For instance: It allows me to boot my computer off the iPod. It allows me to transfer 6 GBs of file from one computer to another. It works perfectly for the software I choose to organize my music (iTunes). Oh, and it plays music as well.

Show me a player that does ALL that and maybe I’ll consider. Until then, STFU.

The trouble is that even shopping around for a decent alternative to the iPod is far too much like hard work for most people. Apple hands them simplicity and takes away their need to actually think about what player they want.

Also the iPod doesn’t have the ‘geek toy’ stigma it used to have, nor an audiophile snobbery factor, ideal if you don’t want to stand out, great for most people.

Finally, calling any player an ‘iPod killer’ or ‘an alternative to the iPod’ pretty much resigns any player to an iPod second-fiddle. So forget the iPod and plough your own furrow.

Take your pick of comparable players from just about any manufacturer- Samsung, Sony, Creative, iRiver et al – and you will find a superior machine to the iPod.