dilla - iPhone uses flash, it doesn't have a disk drive. If you're talking about a classic iPod, then it could be the hard disk. hard disk failure is not just limited to Apple products - by your logic, every computer blows balls if you give it time. I suggest you stop treating your iPod or any other electronics like a mechanical device - whacking an electrical device doesn't do you any good. Maybe that's why it broke? I have a G4 PowerBook I purchased 4 years ago. I replaced the screen because I dropped it but everything else is still working and I believe it will keep working for another 4 until it goes into a well deserved retirement.
masta - I think you missed my earlier point. You can do a side by side comparison of the technical specs but using the actual product is another story. Apple is, in my mind, second to none because of the software they develop. I bought a Samsung K5 a year ago because I needed a mp3 player and I didn't want to wait for a touchscreen iPod. It looks nice, the platform looks nice but the usability is crap. I hate browsing on it. I love browsing on the Touch. And that kind of beauty can be found throughout the Apple line up. I'm willing to pay more for that and I'm not going to settle for a fake ass OS X skin on Windows like some people do.