You'd probably like a simple or on the "Are they worth it?"

Clearly, you don't know me very well (yet).

It all boils down to a four-letter word. You've got to do what the sleeker-looking iPods have done, and that is get people to say COOL when they see it. Or PHAT. Or whatever it is they say these days. Apple's done it, and it's daunting competition, especially if the Windows integration with iTunes & Music Store happens in time for U.S. Christmas shopping! Matching Apple on price with a bit higher capacity (but not an order of magnitude higher, since nobody needs that) isn't gonna cut it; you've got to offer something cooler or more compelling. The Karma's form factor will appeal to some; others will still prefer the PDA-like iPod. So that's a wash. One potentially compelling quality for the Rio will be transfer speed over 100MB Ethernet, which matters w/multi-GB devices (and most people don't have USB 2.0 yet, so deemphasizing USB 1.1 speed is appropriate). From what I've already read on this board, we can presume the software/firmware will be compelling and rock-solid. Hard to sell products like this on non-sexy qualities like reliability (i.e., it must be a computer product with CE-style indestructability), but obviously that'll be important long-term for reputation sake.

My advice if D&M Marketing is lurking (Ha!) is to really make the in-store packaging and display snazzy. Show that big blue display dancing to the music. (I've seen Best Buy displays of the Zen that made it look cool, and it's a boring brick.)

So, bottom line is that yes, I'd be willing to pay that, but I'm the niche market if ever there was one. I'd give anything to know what Apple's sales figures have been for the 15GB & 30GB iPods, as compared to the $299 10GB model w/o the dock. It would be bad news if it turns out that the consumer mass market just won't pay more than $300 for digital audio players, no matter how cool (or huge the capacity). Hope that's false, but this is the era of the $50 DVD player