I think you're missing an important part of the use case. People who like iPods in particular are usually deep into "it just works" territory and have a viscera

I think you're missing an important part of the use case. People who like iPods in particular are usually deep into "it just works" territory and have a visceral aversion to tinkering. It sounds like you have a pro-tinkering mindset, possibly subconsciously, and are discounting the degree to which some people hate tinkering with their personal setup.