Zune or Ipod?
Still can’t decide if you are iPodish or Zunish? Let’s look at some facts and figures to help you decide whether an iPod or a Zune is your best choice for a portable music player...
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Should I Buy a Zune or iPod?
Microsoft’s Zune is 4.4 x 2.4 x .60-inches and weighs 5.6 oz. It comes in black, white, or brown with a 3-inch LCD video screen and a 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The Apple iPod is a bit smaller at 4.1 x 2.4 x .43-inches and weighs only 4.8 oz. Available in black or white with its handy click wheel, it has a 2.5-inch LCD also at a 320 x 240 resolution. Zune sports an FM radio tuner and allows you to customize your background with a photo or artwork while the iPod offers neither.
Both 30GB models retail for about $250 and can store up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 pictures or 100 hours of video. Both contain Li-Ion batteries that have a life of 14 hours before they need recharging. Zune takes approximately 3 hours for a full charge while iPod will need closer to 4. Both devices support MP3, MP4, M4A, M4B, and MOV file formats. The Zune favors Windows Media Audio (WMA) while iPod has its protected AAC format. This means that Zune and iPod will not play nice, when it comes to exchanging files, unless you use a little magic to convert your iTunes files to MP3 or convert WMA to MP3. While both systems support JPGs and MPGs, Zune will also support WAVs and iPods can take on WMVs.
iPod so far has the edge on amount of downloadables. Obviously the Zune is compatible with Microsoft’s Xbox, while iPod is with all things Mac related. If you convert your music to MP3s then you can put them on your Zune as well. Similar to Apple's iTunes Music Store, Microsoft has the Zune Store. Each song costs 99 cents (same as iTunes) but Zune also offers Zune Pass, a monthly subscription service for $14.99. The options are somewhat limited, though, since you can only download music from the Zune Store at this point.
Zune has built-in WiFi capability within a 30 foot range, which lets you exchange music wirelessly with other Zune owners. Songs transferred via Zune Push can be played only three times in three days, presumably so you can decide if you want to purchase it for yourself. Some common criticisms of the Zune WiFi feature are that it doesn't allow you to purchase songs wirelessly (it can't connect to the Internet via your wireless router) and you can't sync the Zune with your PC via the WiFi connection. So for now, both the Zune and the iPod must be tethered to a computer with a USB cable to buy songs or sync up.
Tried and True or Innovation?
Obviously both systems share most applications, with little variance in features. It all comes down to deciding if you want to invest in the tried and true iPod or the more innovative Zune that may have been released a bit too quickly. It does have the nice horizontal/vertical usage for portrait and landscape viewing, but already there are reports about Zune screens cracking when left on for too long, and problems sharing songs wirelessly with Zune Push.
There is more music available for the iPod from the Apple Store as well as video media, but you will have to give up the FM tuner that is in the Zune. Apple has realeases the iPhone and rumor has it that there are also plans for a Zune phone. Both are priced around $249.95 and both are offering Valentine’s Day specials. In the case of Zune, Amazon is offering premium earphones. The Apple Store will toss in a free engraving, gift wrap, and even shipping in some cases and offers free initial downloads within certain qualifications. Finally, the reliability of support for an iPod may be a factor, since it has been around longer.
In the end, your decision will hinge on which features are most important to you, and which corporate behemoth you want to cozy up to... Apple or Microsoft. If you want a mini-entertainment system, opt for the Zune with its larger screen and FM tuner. If you are mostly a business type, the iPod with calendar, contact list, and stopwatch is perhaps more up your informational alley.
Got comments about your Zune or iPod player? Post your thoughts below...
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Check out other articles in this category:Posted by Bob Rankin on February 8, 2007 03:18 PM
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Most recent comments on "Zune or Ipod?"
(See all 19 comments for this article.)|
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I love our iPod! :) Though I can't speak on the other players out there, it is extremely easy to use and has fantastic audio output quality. Having an iPod totally changed the way that we listen to music. I almost never listen to radio anymore since it's great to play music on my car stereo without commercial interruption and also great to listen to informative podcasts ranging from every topic under the sun. Of course, you do not need to have an iPod to listen to podcasts since it will work with any type of device. I have bought my sister a nano for her birthday and my nephews each a shuffle for Christmas. Everyone is estatic with them and keep telling me how much they enjoy them and their music. I wouldn't switch to another device for anything. |
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For my needs, my Treo650 and RealPlayer does just fine. It accepts SD cards up to 4GB in size so I have more space for music and I don't listen to music much unless I'm in my car where I listen mostly to CDs anyway. I have no need for an iPod, or a Zune, or a Creative. I prefer to carry just one device and Treo650 does everything!:) |
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u can have your ipod i thinks its crap its to slow for one if u want a good mp3 player buy an iriver its the way to go it takes forever to respond when you have it full of songs i had 5000 songs on it and it was really slow so i got rid of it and bought a iriver |
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Creative Zen Vision M Blows them both OUT of the water. So many features that the music listener actually USES! Fully customizable from menu items to desktops to types of video files that will play on it, I don't know why this player gets overlooked so much. 30GB can be found around $200 right now, 60GB $240... It doesn't try to be more than it needs to be, but is almost everything you'd need. |
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I passed on these and other high performance players for simple practicality. I bought an Emprex MP3 player at Fry's Electronics for $14.95 (now down to $9.95). It uses SD cards. I bought a 1 GB for $15. The player is not much bigger than a pack of Dentyne gum and uses a single AAA battery. It only shows track # but who cares, right? For less than 40 bucks, I have not bad of a player that will hold hours of music. Save your $$$$$! |
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I prefer ot have the large storage space of a hardrive. I borrowed a 60G Ipod for a month and a Zune for a few days. I preferred the iPod. I haven't tried the Creative yet, and I haven't committed with my money yet either. I'm still using a little shuffle for day to day use. |
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I have a Zune. It is a really cool device but it has issues. Microsoft has already replaced my original Zune for defects. The Zune is great if it is working. One problem I continue to have is that when you turn the Zune off and lock it, it continues to drain the battery. This is very aggrevating since I run every morning and most of the time it is dead. The other factor is that once it goes dead like this it has trouble charging. It always says "Connect a Zune Device" although it is connected. Frustrating at best! |
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Definitely going to go with everyone who said ditch those two losers and buy a Creative Zen. Not only is the Creative Zen a better product, but it's still possible to buy their mp3players that DON'T play videos. Not all of us want videos, thank you. Some of us just want to take our music around. It's only possible to retail buy a ZenTouch, which is a mp3/picture device, but mine is reliable as the Rock of Gibralter. Also as sturdy as, too. You could drop this sucker and not have to worry at all. You can't buy music from Creative, but they don't try and pull all that bull with AAC and DRM. Die, Apple. |
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I wonder how you can even suggest that the zune is innovative?! it isn't selling because it's obviously another worthless microsoft product, not to mention it wouldn't exist if the brilliant ipod had not graced us with it's presence years beforehand. EDITOR'S NOTE: So you're saying that any product that is not first to the market cannot possibly be innovative? Consider this... the Japanese didn't invent cars or televisions. |
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the zune is great. it does everything i want it to do. i've never had a problem with it. actually i don't think you could go wrong with either an ipod, zune or a creative. it's just a matter of taste. |
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