[Kipper is King]

To clarify: If you have an Ipod, you do need itunes to transfer music over to it. Itunes does not necessarily need to be source of your music, however.

You can transfer CDs to your computer through Itunes (Apple's music software), then they go on to your ipod. You're not just limited to downloading music.

In terms of getting an ipod with the best value, I'd say go for an 80GB Ipod classic.

With 80GB of storage, most people can store a large chunk of their music collection on it, if not their entire music collection. This ipod also is capable of playing video, and some basic games that are available for download on Itunes. There is a 160GB version, but that is bigger and bulkier. It also is more storage than many people need.

The ipod nano is a very nice option as well. The major advantage they have is being very small. The problem is that the capacity is relatively small too. If she has a ton of CDs, then a nano likely won't suffice. You can still hold many hundreds of songs on a nano, though- so without a big CD collection, it may be a good option. The newest ipod nanos are capable of everything the bigger Ipod classic is, like playing video.