The Ipod has no real competitor yet. So far all the offerings from other manufacturers are inferior products.
More Apple-Fantasyland.
I own a Creative Labs Nomad Zen Xtra 40GB. You can buy an ipod with half the disk space for twice the price (the standard Apple pricing model). While the ipod has a better user interface the ipod is an expensive disposable toy - when the battery goes you get to throw it away (word on the street is that is about 18 months). The Nomad has a replaceable battery and it supports all formats - my computer music library is in multi-formats so the ipod is not really an option. The ipod is a vehicle to support Apple's on-line music sales scheme - the ipod is good device but very expensive and limited (the standard Apple model)