Ok i'll give you the lowdown
I was about to buy one but the apple superstore in my area (which has offered me a job) the manager whom i know told me not to get one because the new ones are coming out soon but I have used extensively the original ipod and the mini and they are amazing end of story. Someone I know has an ipod mini blue and it is fabulous. BUT, yes the articles are true after 18 months or so the nonremovable Built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery dies and you have to send your ipod into apple iPod Battery Replacement.
If your iPod is more than a year old and you’re not covered by the AppleCare Protection Plan for iPod, you can send in your iPod for battery service for $99.
And they will send you back a brand new ipod exact model you bought for the 99 bucks but your data will all be gone soo BACKUP.
Anyways I have not bought one yet and not sure if i will. I am a mac user aswell because I produce all my film projects on my powerbook(the new 15 inch with superdrive
) but my advice is if you have the dough and are going to use it extensively and have a large music database then go for it even though its 18 months its worth it but if you are just going to use it once and awhile then NO go buy a creative nomad for just leisure music listening. The dudes who spend the green on an ipod use it everyday on their way to work, on the bus, all the time at school or use it with their digital camera and as a portable harddrive(which is the best use of it for my needs). For the time being i continue to use my little creative nomad mUVo nx 128 mb flash based mp3 player.
