Can choice be a bad thing? After years of enjoying friends' Xbox 360s, I decided to go buy one of my own. But then which do you buy? Microsoft [2] currently has four models of the Xbox 360 available. It is further complicated by the fact that some units have a newer version of the game consoles CPU and motherboard. It is all very frustrating. Do I get the premium or the elite? What store do I go to find the newer version? Shouldn't Microsoft have kept things simple? Sony isn't doing much better with the multiple versions [3] of its PlayStation 3, either.

I am facing a similar dilemma with Apple [4]. I want a new iPod. But which do I get? After owning an iPod Shuffle for a few years, I want to upgrade. Do I get the iPod Nano or the Classic? I definitely do not want an iPod Touch -- if you are going to spend that kind of money for that set of features, you should just go ahead and get an iPhone. And even if I do go with my first inclination, the iPod Nano, I then have to decide how much capacity I want and what color. Or maybe that would just be throwing money away -- perhaps it is worth waiting for the inevitable second version of the iPhone next year.

Consumers want choice, but at a certain point, adding a new model to the mix worsens the situation rather than improving it. Should companies make consumers agonize over a purchasing decision? What companies are also guilty of an over-complicated product lineup?