I don't think people dislike iPods just to break from the mainstream, I for one dislike them simply for their substandard quality. The pricing is ridiculous and hardly changes, players such as Creative's to name one have much better battery life for a much lower price. iPod has become the Harley Davidson of mp3 players, a lot of people buy it for the name, yet it's technically inferior to some competitors.
(oh I'm referring to the 'big' iPods, I'm amazed at the Nano... too bad it scratches so easily)