Contemplating whether or not you want to get an iPod (like the rest of your friends have), or another brand of MP3 player? Overall, iPods are very good and so are most MP3 players. Each have their own pros and cons...
iPods and MP3 Players - Compatibility
When comparing iPods and MP3 players, one of the first things that should be taken into consideration is compatibility. Many people believe that iPods only work on Mac computers. This is not at all true. iPods work with computers that are capable of running iTunes. Thus, Macs and PCs. However, iPods do not play well, or at all, with other music management software, other than iTunes. So, if you like using iTunes to manage all of your music, videos, tv shows, movies, and apps, an iPod is probably going to be your best bet. Alternatively, if you prefer another software other than iTunes for managing your music, videos, tv shows, etc, than an iPod is probably not for you. Apple likes to keep all of their products strictly wound together. Chances are good, your average MP3 player will not be able to sync with iTunes... at least not out of the box.
Also keep into consideration, most MP3 players come with their own software, or allow you to manually drag and drop MP3 files into them, similar to a flash drive.