wolf

I know this has come up on countless other forums. I am trying to decide between an IPod and a Zune.

The IPod
+'s
Been around for a while, has lots of accessories, lots of media is around for the device (i.e. Podcasts, video, etc)

-'s
Very scratchable, no wifi, smaller screen, iTunes is a bitch

The Zune

+'s
Larger screen, WiFi enabled (though only between devices for now), lots of potential, more customizable - backgrounds. virually scratch proof

-'s
New first gen product, no lifetime testing, bulkier than the Ipod

I don't have an MP3 player other than a minidisc player which sucks. I definitely want something which has a good capacity (30gb min) and plays video in a watchable format.

I don't really care about subscription service music. I buy all of my mp3s from allofmp3.com. My entire collection is mp3, no aac or any other format

My video is all DVD at this point and I know there is conversion software for both products. (does any one know if there is any conversion software for Podcasts for Zune?)


Just thought I would get an opinion from everyone. Since Zune has been out for a little while I thought I would ask what you think of them. I am looking to make a decision by March/April, so I have time.

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Kadath

You could always just wait for Apple's new phone, whatever they end up calling it.

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wolf

The iPhone only has two memory options 4 GB and 8GB. I am not paying $600 for a phone with Cingular. I have Verizon wireless and am very happy with them.

Thank you for the suggestion though.

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shakran

the Zune has gotten horrible reviews. I wouldn't touch it. The iPod also has the advantage of being the only player out there that's compatible with win2k instead of only winXP SP2.

that said, since I have XP, if I were buying today I'd get a Zen.

wolf

I have XP SP2 will probably upgrade to Vista at some point (not too soon). I like the possibility of podcasts and tv shows available on IPod. I heard the 80gb IPod was buggy as far as the HDD buzzing through the headphones. Anyone?

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Manic_Skafe

While I'm not a fan of either, I'd go with an Ipod. Unless you're big on sharing tunes with your friends then there isn't a reason to buy a Zune and even then, (since you like to purchase your music) you can only "lend" a song purchased from the Zune library to a friend who can play it no more than 3 times in a 3 day period.....

There's no reason to deal with Microsoft's bullshit and take the risk involved with buying a first-gen product when the Ipod has been out for so long and has so much support behind it.

When it comes to comfortably watching full-length movies, the Zune and Ipod will only lead to disappointment. You'd be much better off going with one of the Archos media players. While they're a bit more fragile, they'll easily handle of your media needs an afford you the ability to comfortably watch your movies for long sessions....built-in speakers, wifi.....

I'd go with a $79 Ipod Shuffle and put the rest of the cash towards a proper portable media player like any in the Archos line of products.

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Wyodiver33

I've had and iPod mini 4GB for about two years now. I still love the player but it's time for me to upgrade. I'm gonna stick with Apple. My needs are basically MP3 at the gym and in my company van. I have no patience with subscription services. I don't want to watch vid on such a small screen. So I'll probably get a 30GB iPod. Apple isn't perfect but they offer a very good product for a relatively good price. They know what they are doing. Somebody else pointed out that Microsoft's offering is gen 1. Good point.

I've had and iPod mini 4GB for about two years now. I still love the player but it's time for me to upgrade. I'm gonna stick with Apple. My needs are basically MP3 at the gym and in my company van. I have no patience with subscription services. I don't want to watch vid on such a small screen. So I'll probably get a 30GB iPod. Apple isn't perfect but they offer a very good product for a relatively good price. They know what they are doing. Somebody else pointed out that Microsoft's offering is gen 1. Good point.

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KnifeMissile

Just so you know, there's nothing stopping you from playing podcasts on the Zune. All podcasts are (and I've had a long misconception about them) are mp3s downloaded via RSS.

Having said that, I would recommend an iPod over the Zune. It's simply a better music player with a better interface (the click-wheel is brilliant) while the few features the Zune might have had over the iPod have been crippled to useslessness.


As a side note, I don't understand why everyone complains about the iPod screen size being too small to watch movies. My 27" TV looks no bigger than the iPod screen from typical viewing distances so unless people are planted right in front of their TVs or watching their iPods with their arms stretched out, it's really not that small...

wolf

Thanks everyone. Today I downloaded the Zune software and created an account, then I downloaded ITunes and created an account. Figured I would check out what each service has to offer. Wow was I surprised. The ITunes Marketplace has sections for TV, Movies, Games. The Zune marketplace has almost nothing. There is a search for music, most artists cannot be found. There isn't anything for video. Now like I had said in my first post I don't care too much about downloading music, I have my own music. I do like the option of video. Both pieces of hardware have software which allows the user to load a DVD onto the device. So no big deal there.

So, with all of that said I think I am going with an IPod. I know they are trendy, and I tend to dislike trendy. However, I have looked at both products and IPod seems designed better. Granted they have had five years to perfect their product. Who knows where Zune will be five years from now. The last thing is accessories. Zune has quite a few accessories available on their site and on Best Buy's site. IPod has a ton of them and they are available everywhere. I really do like the WiFi capability of the Zune, even though MS really hasn't started to use it for what it could be used for (Wireless synch), but that just isn't enough of a selling point.

Let me know what you think.

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wolf

OK, now a buddy of mine got the Zune and loves it. He is an IPod convert. He had a 3rd gen IPod and when his died, he was looking to upgrade. He took a look at the Zune and it had everything he needed. He goes to the gym with the IPod, but liked the zune's integration of a radio. Now when he gets sick of the tunes on the zune, he switches to radio. He did say the wireless is silly. Most users will keep it turned off by default so it doesn't use up battery. So, if he wants to share a song with someone he has to tell them to turn the wireless on. He still likes the fact the technology is emerging and who knows where MS will go with it. Could be a portable XBOX in a year or so.

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