Brand #2. The Ipod

Sometime around the end of last year, someone somewhere bought the world's 100 millionth ipod. That's right, the 100 millionth Ipod sold. That's for a product that's always suffered iffy battery life and is priced at a premium to the market.

And last week under my Xmas tree was a brand new mega ipod. It'll be my third. The first, less than 5 years old is almost dead, only working when plugged in, whilst the second, a cute little nano, has buttons that are sporadic at best.

Nevertheless, when composing my letter to Santa, I didn't seriously consider any other brands. Is there any greater testament to brand strength?

I'm delighted to report that the new ipod is smarter, bigger and altogether more gadget laden than either of its siblings. I love it, especially the chance to store and watch episodes of Never Mind the Buzzcocks ripped off You Tube. That's not illegal, surely?