IPOD vs. ZUNE (Full Version)

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BeGone -> IPOD vs. ZUNE (3/29/2008 10:45:50 PM)

Which one you recommend? I am interested in buying one or the other.

IPOD or ZUNE?



Miss Giggles -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (3/29/2008 11:18:34 PM)

I use the Nike sport kit for running so I use the Nano. It's really a personal preference.

The Ipods probably cost more.



QueenBrownShuga -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (3/30/2008 2:11:04 AM)

I bought myself, and my daughters a Zune for Christmas 2007. I did a lot of research about the 2 before I made a purchase. What I saw most was that IPOD kept having trouble, so I opted for the Zune. We love our Zune's. So that would be my recommendation.



PreserveWildlife -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (3/30/2008 8:28:36 AM)

I always opt for Apple's products. Usually better designed and more fun to use. I've had an ipod and I have an iphone. See no advantage using Microsoft's me-too device. One way to decide is to get both applications, zune's and iTunes and see which you like more. And go to a store and play around with the devices.

No matter what, with a consumer good like this, a better one will be released within 6 months after you buy.



Miss Giggles -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (3/30/2008 9:29:52 AM)

If you use it for exercise please get a flash based device. Using an mp3 player that has a hard drive in it (moving parts) means it could die quicker by being constantly bumped and it can skip. The nano has a flash card for the hard drive so you can run with it and not have it skip or damage the hard drive.

I think the zune had a hard drive vs a flash drive.



henny -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (3/30/2008 10:42:19 AM)

I have a Creative Zen and really like it.

The Zune comes with the hassle of being a Microsoft product and the IPOD comes with the hassle of being an Apple product.

I like Creative because it's easier. You don't need any special Apple or Microsoft programs to load songs, you just dump them directly on the drive and it detects them.

I have the 60 gig and have had it for two years and it's held up really well. I've dropped it countless times and it still works.



fluffmonkey -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/1/2008 12:35:52 PM)

My Fiances Ipod was ran over and buried in ground, spent a day buried from being ran over and it still worked, no harm done lol (except you had to clean all dirt from it lol)

I have an Ipod Nano, not the newest generation but one before and I love it, I have used it at work when sorting mail and such, I take it running with me...its great!



country83 -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/1/2008 5:26:36 PM)

I'm a fan of Creative mp3 players. They always seemed to work well for me.



figmentPez -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/1/2008 7:51:49 PM)

I've been avoiding Creative's products since their driver support for my Audigy soundcard was so awful. (It broke autoplay for my CD-ROM drive when I installed from the CD). However, their hardware does seem to be decent, even if their customer support and software is awful.

I'm not sure what I'd pick between an iPod and a Zune. In the end, I didn't. I just bought a DAP this week, and I chose Best Buy's Insignia Pilot. It was on sale for $130, so I grabbed one, and so far I'm pleased.

The reasons I chose the Pilot 8GB over other players are:
1. Ogg Vorbis support (open source, much better quality than MP3s, or WMA when I first started ripping my music)
2. FM tuner
3. Expandable memory through SD card slot. If I run out of room in 8GB, I can toss in another 8GB for $30 (or maybe even 16GB for the same price, as prices drop in the future.)
4. Price (Best Buy must be planning to phase this player out soon, or something)
5. User replaceable battery

It's also got Bluetooth (for wireless headphones), audio recording (with a 1/8" jack input), video-out (if you buy an extra cable) and other stuff I don't really care about.

The screen is much better than I expected. Video quality is pretty good for a 2.4" and 320x240 screen. I wasn't planning on having video as more than a novelty, but I've already set out converting videos so I have stuff to watch on the go. (Starting with some old episodes of "The Secret Life of Machines" that were put out for free on the web.)

Audio quality is... well... Better than mediocre, but not excellent. It's not as good as what I'm used to on my PC, or on my PDA (Palm Tungsten E), which I had been using as a DAP, but it's still fairly clear. It seems to like some headphones better than others, especially the SkullCandy Ink'd earbuds I picked up at the same time. While the Ink'd sound worse on my PC than the Sony (Fontopia?) I've been using (Not suprising the Ink'd are $20, the Sony were $40-50), the Ink'd sound better on the Pilot. I think the Ink'd are higher impedance, and the Pilot doesn't have a lot of power to it's headphone jack. I haven't used the included earbuds much, so I can't comment on their quality. I like the canalphone style ear-buds, because they don't fall out as easily, and generally sound better.

In any case, I can hear enough detail in the music that I can get lost in it, so I'm happy, even though I'm now curious what type of sound quality other players offer.

I'm betting that the iPod has a better user interface than the Pilot. It seems lacking in control over choosing what to play. However, it's not that bad. I usually just like to choose an album to listen to, and want it shuffled, and I can do that.

Overall, it's got a lot of great features, but it's lacking in follow-through. I'm happy with my purchase, but I'm not sure everyone would be.



Terath -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/1/2008 10:14:36 PM)

Well, I would pick Zune over iPod every time. Why?

-Mac is an expert at locking you into their products. It's very difficult to switch after the fact, as it's DRM-ed to the teeth. They've even released updates speficially aimed at cutting out support for Linuxed iPods. Microsoft may have a profit-centered agenda, but at least they're up front about how much they want your money. Apple sneaks around and steals it from you while you're not looking. Case in point being the battery fiasco, of course.
-The Zune 80 has a 3.2" screen. The iPod has what, 1.5" or 2.5"?
-In my experience, the Zune handles sound better than the iPod, better than my computer for that matter.
-Zune's got Wi-Fi, including Wi-Fi synchronization to the computer
-Zune's got an FM tuner
-Zune has the "Zune Pad," an input device that allows for four directional buttons, a center button, and sliding along the x and y axis. This allows for a speed and control comparable if not better than the Scroll Wheel

There are a few pluses on the iPod side though:
-An abundance of 3rd party accessories
-Larger library of music through iTunes
-Allows for the choice of the Shuffle, Nano, Classic, or Touch

It should also be noted that the Zune comes in four sizes, 30, 4, 8, and 80. The 30 is the old model. Cheaper, but the hardware isn't as spiffy as the 80. Same software and firmware though. the 4 and 8 are flash memory, rather than the hard drive of the 30 and 80. Both have the same hardware, somewhat reminiscent of the iPod Nano. The 80 is the main model of the Zune line, and it's an engineered iPod killer. Microsoft took every aspect of the iPod into account and said, "How can we one-up this?" If you ask me, they did a pretty good job of it. Also, the firmware is excellent, it runs well, it's easy to use, offers a wide range of features. My only real beef with Microsoft is the Zune software: it's been nerfed of most of it's former functionality. It's clearly designed to do little, there's no power at all in it.



jonphillips -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/2/2008 10:45:10 AM)

I'm an Apple guy myself. Apple just makes a great product. I've owned several iPods over the years. I just recently upgraded to the 80Gb iPod Classic. I love it. Even with all my music and even videos, I can't fill this thing up. I'm a runner also, and it holds up the the abuse of strapping it on every morning and pounding the pavement for 30-45 minutes. I really want to get a hold of the iPod Touch, its basically like the iPhone but without the phone capabilities.



crm4souls -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/5/2008 11:11:26 PM)

I am on my 4th Ipod and am a satisfied customer. About 80% of the people I know have Ipods and 20% or so have ventured off. To my knowledge I rarely hear complains from Ipod owners. I have had 2 problems over the years which were quickly solved with Apples great customer service. Good luck with your choice.



called2valor -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/10/2008 8:38:03 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: henny

I have a Creative Zen and really like it.

The Zune comes with the hassle of being a Microsoft product and the IPOD comes with the hassle of being an Apple product.

I like Creative because it's easier. You don't need any special Apple or Microsoft programs to load songs, you just dump them directly on the drive and it detects them.

I have the 60 gig and have had it for two years and it's held up really well. I've dropped it countless times and it still works.



yeah! I am a Zen user too!
I can pop the little thing into the USB port and add and remove tunes at will in either Linux or Windows without any speacial software of tinkering around!!!!!
They are reasonably priced, small [:)] and have decent battery life for such a tiny device. I love my Zen and I am glad I got it.



new68 -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/10/2008 9:23:12 AM)

I would like to add my .02 on this.

I am NOT an Apple person. I don't like Macs, but I own an iPod. I also bought one for my wife. I made my choice by going into Best Buy and playing with the various MP3 players they had. I thought I would like the Zune better, but I didn't like the controls on it. I love the controls on the iPod and decided thats what I wanted. I don't have lots of music so 4 to 8GB of capacity was all I needed. I also wanted a slim and thin design. So I decided an iPod Nano would be best for me. But instead of buying a brand new current generation model (the ones with the wide screen), I opted for a refurbished 2nd generation 4GB Nano. I bought two of them for $99 each (one for me and one for my wife) from Apple's online store. When I got them, both looked brand new and had brand new earphones and data cables. Both have a 1 year warranty from Apple too. I've had them for 7 or 8 months now, and neither of them has had any problems. Even after dropping them.

Also, if you don't like iTunes, there are 3rd party programs you can download for free that will work with iPods.



stellaluna -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/10/2008 10:15:17 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: crm4souls
I am on my 4th Ipod and am a satisfied customer.

This is one reason I wouldn't choose an iPod. Every iPod user I know is on their second, third, fourth... I've been using the same Mobiblu Cube for years with no problem.

quote:


Mac is an expert at locking you into their products. It's very difficult to switch after the fact, as it's DRM-ed to the teeth.

This is another reason i wouldn't choose an iPod. And it's the main reason my husband decided to replace his iPod with a Sansa and it's the main reason he has had nothing but headaches for months trying to recover and move his music away from iTunes. (We are not talking about music he bought through iTunes. We are talking about his own music that he let iTunes manage.)

So yeah. I probably wouldn't get either, but I'd probably lean more toward the Zune I guess. I say go with a third-party player that has drag-and-drop and doesn't require you to sync. There are lots of mp3/video players on the market now.



hawknelsonismyfriend -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/19/2008 5:53:54 PM)

iPod. I love my iPod. I've dropped it so many times and it still works. I have iPod shuffles, iPod video, itoouch, and an iphone, and they all are the best music players. One of my friends dropped his ipod mini in their pool, and it still worked. Plus all my apple stuff works better than microsoft or any other brand.



stateofgrace -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/20/2008 4:46:55 PM)

We are a four iPod family. The two family members who had Shuffles now have Nanos...not because the Shuffles went bad but because they wanted more music space and the screen. I have bought both new and on the Apple Store Online refurbished and I would do the later if the product was available. Occasionally someone else sells refurbished, checkng dealmac.com and its sister site dealnews.com is a good idea.

About life of the devices - I'm still on a Mini. Still getting OK battery life. When it finally dies, I will either get a Nano or iTouch, or inherit my hubby's Nano if we get him an iPhone.

I really do like the iTunes software. I find it easy to use and easy to sort and make playlists.

A salesperson at a local store for a major electronics chain gave me her perspective recently (and, no I wasn't buying a player at the time). I asked her what did they really see "on the floor" with sales of the digital audio (and audio/video) players. She said by far most of the time it's Pods, occasionally Zune, and once in a great while something like the Creative Zen.

She said that one big advantage of iPods is that many manufacturers make accessories for them. So...if you are planning to do things like use an FM transmitter in the car, you have a number to chose from and many are chargers as well. With Zune there may be only one or two that have a charger. And with other brands, you're likely out of luck except to find a device that plugs into the headphone jack, and won't charge (my experience has been that the FM transmitters that include the charger are stronger because they are drawing power from the car battery instead of one or two AAs/AAAs).

Or if you want a boom box to plug your device into (hubby bought me a nice one). Zune is not "wide open" to other manufacturers making accessory devices but iPod is. So there is like Microsoft and one or two other manufacturers. OTOH, there are many more with iPod.



DaveW -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/25/2008 10:42:30 AM)

I have an RCA Lyra that uses SD memory cards so you can swap out as much as you like. My middle daughter also has a Lyra and uses it a lot.



figmentPez -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/26/2008 4:01:04 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: figmentPez

Audio quality is... well... Better than mediocre, but not excellent. It's not as good as what I'm used to on my PC, or on my PDA (Palm Tungsten E), which I had been using as a DAP, but it's still fairly clear.


Okay, I have to rescind this statment. I don't know if it was the flu I'd gotten just after buying my Pilot, or if I was just hearing "different" as "worse", but after spending time with my new player, I'm very very pleased with the sound. It's at least as good as anything else I've used, even if the tonal qualities are different than my PC (which may be having issues, now that I think of it, I'm overdue for a complete reinstall). There certainly isn't any hiss or noise, the bass is clear as well as the treble.



MoshForChrist -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/29/2008 11:42:26 AM)

I don't have a player but I'd go with a Creative product.



fluffmonkey -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (4/29/2008 2:24:20 PM)

quote:

This is one reason I wouldn't choose an iPod. Every iPod user I know is on their second, third, fourth... I've been using the same Mobiblu Cube for years with no problem.


I have only had one ipod and its still as good as the first day I got it lol



Tinkerbell_ -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (5/5/2008 10:18:26 AM)

I have the 80GB iPod and love it. The only problem I have with it is how heavy it is. Other than that, I love it. The Things have the shuffles and they hold more than enough music for them. No complaints and I've had my 80GB for almost a year. [:)]



john_mark -> RE: IPOD vs. ZUNE (5/6/2008 3:52:42 PM)

i have an ipod that is used mostly for listenling to podcasts. in itunes i just subscribe to a podcast and everytime i open itunes it gets the latest podcasts and downloads them to my nano[:)]



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