this will depend kung ano na ang current media environment mo...
if you have more than 1 apple products na like, iphone, ipad, or macbook... its better to have the ipod for you music dedicated device.
otherwise, sony mp3 players should be fine. though i have no experience in their recent mp3 players, i think it should be easier manipulating music files thru it, comparing with apple.
for battery usage, yes, apple ipods can last long. but you can check out some sony mp3 player reviews about device power durations. search the net (do your homework)
at the end of the day, its your choice, your money, your enjoyment
for me, i would go for the non-iOS mp3 player, basically for the ease of music files manipulation.
i hate apple's itunes & how confusing & so proprietary their media handling is.
BR & God bless