What the Critics are saying about the Apple iPod:

Ease of Use: very easy to use straight out of the box

Design: The design is clean and aesthetically pleasing

Software: One of the easiest to use and it works seamlessly between the player and the computer

Sound Quality:  sound quality is good

Connectivity:   easy to connect to MAC or PC,  ultra fast and easy to transfer music

Batteries:  This is the only thing critics have negative to say about this player but has improved with the new 4th generation iPod. Battery life is about 12 hours up from 8

X-Factor: it's has the most wow factor,

Compatibility

Music Downloads		File Formats		Transfer with Media Players
	Napster		MP3		Napster
	iTunes		AAC		iTunes
	Streamwaves		WMA		Windows Media Player
	RealPlayer		RA		RealPlayer
	eMusic		OGG		Musicmatch
	BuyMusic		WAV		Winamp
	MusicRebellion
	Wal-Mart
	Audio Lunchbox
	Audible
	Live Downloads
	Musicmatch
	Bleep

compatibility chart credit to MP3.com

For a complete overview of the MP3 Player Market and a description of how the review was done click here;