Thoughts on the Apple iPod

The advent of the Apple iPod, along with its iPod accessories and iPod cases, seem to have monopolized the mobile music scene. Although there are other, highly noted MP3 players and music phones, the Apple iPod has clearly cemented itself as the top dog in the portable music world.
So what makes the iPod great? Why can't it be beaten? Since its inception, other brands have trailed. And speaking from experience, nobody wants to be second best. Creative Zen, for example, has always been a runner-up and not a finisher when compared to Apple's iPod. Music phones from Sony Ericsson and Nokia, with its trusty and widely copied Nokia accessories, might have beaten the Apple iPod, except they always fall short in the memory banks. Suckers.
Perhaps, the reason why the Apple iPod remains on top of the food chain is its media exposure. I know an MP3 player or two that can take the Apple iPod or two to school. But with a powerful and overexposed company such as Apple, how can they win. No, let me rephrase that. How can they exist?