You're supposed to be very meticulous about how often you let your battery run down completely.
Anyway, I've had no problems with my iPod so far. I had a Zen before that and had to replace it three times, the first two lasting 12 months and the last one even less. The iPod is more expensive, but better IMO. That said, I haven't used the Zen:Vision M, which has been well-received. They don't do 60gb models, though.