iPod sucks

I decided to go for a nice run today in the 30 degree weather to get a little mental relaxation.  I was debating whether or not to bring my ipod mini and checked to see the battery life which showed about 3/4 full.  So I was in the middle of my run charging up a hill when my ipod just dies out.  I have to tell you that Apple has done a nice job with the iPod making it easy and user-friendly for everyone but the battery and hardware problems just bother me.  In our family, we have gone through 2 other iPods where the battery just dies out after a year, conveniently after the warranty is over.  If you want Apple to replace the battery it costs you another $59 (used to be $99 but it seems Apple has gotten a little smarter about not pissing off its customers) or if you want to do it yourself, you can go to places like Sonnet and buy a new battery for $29.95 which is what I am going to do now.  Another iPod generated significant feedback and did not play after about 15 months to which I would have had to send it to Apple and get charged $250 for a repair fee.  Why would I pay $249 for an ipod repair or $199 for an iPod mini repair if I can get a new one for $199?  All I have to say is that Apple better keep developing new products because it seems to me that one of Apple's marketing strategies depends on customers upgrading to the new thing before they recognize or even care that their old ipod has a shelf life of 18 months.  I have to tell you I am starting to get tired of this!  With all of these problems on the hardware side, Apple is starting to lose my loyalty.  I am just waiting for someone, anyone to step up with a family of devices to rival the ipod with high quality as a number 1 priority!