I have a number of iPod shuffles and Nanos. Like many others, I do not carry my phone with me when I run (it's too big, uses battery needlessly, and can get dropped and damaged easily). The Shuffle and the Nano that are postage-stamp sized are perfect, as they clip on to my waistband, shirt tail, or somewhere out of the way.

When I first heard the news I felt somewhat abandoned. But then I thought, Apple has been pushing away its loyal base (I've used Apple computers since the late 1970s) for a while. I went online and quickly found a SanDisk "Clip Sport Plus" 16GB MP3 player with headphones for $55. Included is a drag-and-drop interface that means I can connect it to my computer and simply move files over (including separate folders) without having the beastly iTunes crap-o-la (you can only "register" an iPod to five machines, and sync with only one. Seriously?).

So, when my iPods run out of battery (as happened with my Gen 3 Shuffle), it will simply go in the trash and my dollars will go to some company not named for a fruit.