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Why do people buy the Stereo Link Cable for iPod when they could buy the Y Audio Cable from the exact same vendor for less than a third the cost? Is the expensive cable more attractive and better-shielded? Perhaps, but these features are hardly worth a 333% price premium.

A more intriguing case is the Monster iCarPlay Cassette Adapter for Apple iPod sold at Best Buy for $20. I enjoy the fact that the packaging claims it is "for iPod." And not just any iPod but "for use with all iPods!" Nevermind that Sony has been selling a cassette adapter for about ten bucks for as long as I can remember and would work fine with any iPod (as well as the Discman and MiniDisc players, apparently.)

People who do not realize the 3.5 mm phone jack on the iPod is identical to the Walkman's wind up buying products marketed only as working with the iPod, overlooking much cheaper tried-and-true accessories that haven't changed much since the Carter era, such as the aforementioned Y Audio Cable.