[techweenie]

The battery is user-replaceable. Lots of third party sources. In come cases, you need a tool they will lend you.

I have lots of MP3s on my iPod. They play fine. Not sure what other 'support' is necessary.

FM tuner? I think you can buy that from several sources, but I haven't looked into it. If you want FM, just buy a tiny FM receiver & leave the iPod at home.

Pricing: you drive a Porsche, when a Pontiac costs less...?

There's a reason Apple has 80% market share. It's really the only 'whole, balanced package.' Plus, nobody has matched the operability/interface advantages.

However, my personal opinion is that the video capability is one of those things people might think they want, but will rarely use. Music videos sell in small numbers at the store for a reason.

Having said that, iPods might ultimately provide the only real market for small independent films that otherwise have no marketplace.