As a broadcaster, it is my duty to say this nerdular stuff:
an audiophile is one who appreciates the highest quality of audio.
The iPod and any mp3 player is far from that level of quality, but it's acceptable to 99% of the population.

It's kind of like Beta vs VHS. The masses always choose convenience over quality.

There. I feel better. But then again, not really.

As for the Shuffle, I wish there was a model with bigger buttons on it so I could feel them through the seven layers of clothing and one thick glove. I don't know how many times I've tried to skip a song and stopped it altogether.