Rob, what is surprising about 40G of the same old, same old? I am only up to 25G on my mp3 player but I don't find it surprising at all because I have heard all the songs before. Maybe I'll buy your argument when Steve Jobs introduces the "Terabyte iPod". And as a podcast fan you are probably ahead of the curve. I'd say most people still use an iPod to store what they love, not to be exposed to surprises. Our definitions of "surprising" are different. Your kind of 40G surprise sounds like going into an Italian restaurant every day and asking the chef to serve you the "surprise platter". One day it is pasta, the next day it is veal parmigiano. You may not know which meal you're getting served today but even after you've eaten 40 tonnes of it, you are still sitting in the same Italian restaurant. For me, surprise is about getting exposed to something new. That's why I love the web, the ultimate place to bump into new things. And that's why, in a more limited way, I like satellite radio for the car - because it is more convenient. For the trip to work I prefer to listen to NPR on satellite radio than to download a segment on my mp3 player every night. My experience was that I was doubtful about satellite radio when I got it as a present and have grown to really like it in the following months. Have you actually ever listened to satellite radio (for more than 5 minutes to try it out)? I doubt it if you seriously compare it to FM radio. I think it goes back to the point of "total control". It sounds like you don't mind spending the time to surf around and put together your own selection of songs and podcasts so you get exactly what you want. I do that, too. But for the trip to work I rather waste a bit of my time listening to NPR or BBC or Bloomberg or the rock station from Quebec on satellite radio, even if it is not something I would have downloaded as a podcast. Again, an mp3 player with the ease of use of an iPod and the addition of a satellite radio would be perfect for me. As long as that's not a reality, I am willing to pay for both. iPods and mp3 players are great and sometimes glorified. They are a bigger commercial success than satellite radio. But they are rarely surprising.