Except when Apple invents it, they will do it right. It will be a delight to use and will not harvest your personal data, instead of being gimmicky, malware-infested crud. The iPod was a vast improvement over previous MP3 players, just as the iPhone was over previous (and subsequent non-Apple) smartphones. Apple is just built different as a tech company -- they're the only major tech company that's actually built around putting the user first -- and so that's why people go apeshit over their new products, even if a similar product was released before from other vendors.
As someone who had bought and used many portable audio solutions before, I could get an iPod I think you are delusional.
MP3 players were completely garbage, with low space, low battery or extremely expensive and inconvenient if you had to swap flash cards.
Let's not even talk about the UI to browse and select music (when there was one at all, if the buttons were serviceable at all).
In fact, MP3s were so bad that after a brief stint with an expensive flash card-based MP3 player; I went back to using my mini disc player since it wasn't much bulkier yet more convenient to operate.
My brother had an Archos which was laughably bad compared to an iPod at a very close price.
In fact, it took until the iPod Mini for competitors to figure out products that were decently competitive. But at this point, the iPod Nano was right around the corner and would suit the vast majority of users at a very competitive price. Sure, Sony did come up with some sort of equivalent, but it was barely 10 percent cheaper and had none of the friendliness and coolness factor of an iPod.
I do believe that current Apple is resting on its laurel and is just happy raking in loads of cash for what are minor evolutions or me-too products that do not have the value they somehow successfully sell them for.
But to go back on the insanely great period Apple went through with the second Steve Jobs leadership is completely nuts. Apple was ahead of everyone in many things at this point in time and they did it at very competitive/affordable prices for the most part.
