I've always been an iPod sort of girl, but when a friend of mine whipped out his Zune at a recent barbecue, I felt a twinge of jealousy. A 3.2-inch screen? Wireless syncing? Awesome wallpapers? I was a little speechless. This realization made me wonder if there was a superior device of the two. Could a Zune really KO my iPod ?
I thought I should compare both the 80GB iPod classic and the 80GB Zune for this post, trying to level the playing field as much as I could. To see the pros and cons of each device, just read more.
80GB iPod Classic
Pros:
- Holds up to 20,000 songs or up to 100 hours of video
- 30-hour battery life for song playback, five hours for video playback
- Compact and thin at .41 inches thick
- 2.5-inch color LCD screen
- Works with iTunes on either your Mac or PC
Cons:
- Comes in silver and black only
- No options for custom or specialty wallpapers
80GB Zune
Pros:
- Holds up to 20,000 songs, or 250 hours of video
- 3.2-inch color screen
- Touch pad makes scrolling through your media a breeze
- Wireless syncing and sharing to other Zune users
- FM transmitter allows you to tune in to local stations (or those radio programmed TVs at the gym)
- Customize your Zune with engravings and wallpapers
Cons:
- Comes in red and black
- Glass screen
- For PC only
Results:
Since the Zune and the iPod classic both come with a $250 price tag, and have similar capacity, it comes down to customization and compatibility. Although the Zune wins points for being so customizable – with downloadable wallpapers to trick out your device, the iPod has to take the title for being compatible with both Mac and PC users, since the Zune only functions in a Windows environment.
Which one do you sport – iPod or Zune?
Browns Fashion
Ernest Jones
Marni
I have an ipod but its funny you post this because my mom was asking me which of the 2 was better. I was almost going to lean toward the Zune because of the sync capability but when you read on the site they only let you play the songs you sync from friends 3 times before you have to purchase it. So I told her to go with the ipod
1I had an Ipod nano and switched to the Zune. We only have a PC so the mac/pc thing isn't an issue. I love it a lot more. I can put youtube videos on it, it syncs wirelessly, which I love and I feel I don't have to worry about the song monopoly that I dealt with on the Ipod.
2I love my Zune. Every time my family buys an iPod, it always messes up in some way or another.
My friend's iPod recently went crazy, and I think I converted her to love Zune, she will probably get the small 4G one soon.
3zunnnnnnnne!
I LOVE my zune. I have the newer, smaller 4GB version in green. Although I liked the smaller Nano version of the Ipod, I found that the length of the Zune make it much easier to hold onto when selecting music.
4iPod. For one, I have all Macs and the color choice doesn't matter because I have a red leather case. A larger screen would be cool but I'm really happy with my 160GB Classic.
5I agree with the Zune love! I've had mine forever and aside from a few quirks I love it.
My husband has a Creative Zen W which I have confiscated since I filled up my Zune and I like it as well.
I'll never go back to ipods!
6I sport a Samsung P2 which is in around the same price range. Smaller capacity (8GB, Flash rather than HDD like the above) but a nice touch screen and some handy features like a calculator, Bluetooth integration with cell phones (really cool!) and BT headset support, a few games, voice recorder, text reader, FM radio (and recorder), and a subway map (which I guess is cool if you live somewhere with a subway). Battery life is 30/5 like the iPod, and you can change the wallpaper like the Zune, and there are downloadable interface styles. You can also transfer files over Bluetooth, I think, but I haven't figured that out.
(A bunch of those features were added with new firmware.)
It's sort of trying to be an iPod Touch... but I think I can live with that. I've had it for 6 months and I love it.
7My husband has been a big Zune fan. Although he now has an iPhone he keeps the Zune in the car for music playing. For me it's less about functionality and more about wanting an iPod. I had other MP3 players - in the end I always found myself wanting the iPod. There's just something about it that I love!
8I'm an iPod girl but have family members who prefer the Zune.
9definitely the iPod! i don't really use mine for watching stuff, so the larger screen (on the zune) is not an issue. Also - anything that is not mac-friendly is just not cool with me. i might upgrade my 30gb ipod to a 80gb or a 160gb...then i'd be able to have all my music on my ipod and then i'd maybe put some videos on, too.
10eh...it's hard but i love my ipod. i've recently also switched to a macbook so having the zune would've been pointless
11ZUNE ALL THE WAY!
12I don't sport any of these two. I have the Zen! I like it. It's trusty and pretty.
13What nobody has even talked about is the GUI. The GUI on the iPod is so intuitive, which is a big reason they're the most popular MP3 players on the market.
Also, the Zune is made by Microsoft. Their products are really unreliable and break easily. I'm on my 4th Xbox 360, and we've sworn off any MS-based system in my household because of their low level of quality. Maybe if they'd invest some $$$ in better QA I'd be willing to buy their products.
14I am curious as to how you can judge the Ipod better then the zune only because the zune doesn't work on a mac OS. With all the clear advantages that it has over the Ipod, I would have at least put them at a tie because of this point. It isn't very hard to install windows on a mac and whalah you would be able to use your zune on the mac.
15iPod chick here!!!
16I will always be an iPod girl...although I would love to be able to listen to my local radio stations or the television channels while at the gym on my iPod.
17I've never used a Zune, but I like the looks of those directional keys. I have an 80G iPod for looks alone, does anyone actually defend the functionality (or completely lack thereof) of that FRICKEN TOUCH WHEEL? I hate it so so so much when I'm trying to change songs/volume/navigate among menus/etc.
18I tried using the Zune at Target and didn't love the interface. Obviously just using a demo isn't enough to truly judge the device. The iPod Touch has a much better interface and a fantastic screen. If they could shove 80GB's inside it I think this would be a more fair comparison with the Zune. I'm a bit over the classic and it's scroll wheel, although I wouldn't say it is the worst thing in the world.
19zune. it's pretty cool. my friend has one and he says he LOVES it and would take it any day over an ipod. unlike itunes, with zune, you pay 15 dollars a month for unlimited music. i think zune is better personally
20I have a Samsung and it's been with me for a long time and it's reliable. It's starting to break down but I wouldn't getting another one. Zune looks better than the IPod if i had to choose.
21iPod, I personally dislike the wallpaper option on the Zune.
22Too many bad experiences with faulty Microsoft products in the past. It's the iPod for me.
23I am an Apple girl, so naturally I adore ipods. The wallpaper option isn't really that great, i wouldn't call it a pro.
24I own both the iPod 80GB Classic and the iPod Touch 8GB. The Classic because of you can save a large music and video library and the Touch because of all of the extras that comes with it -- web browsing, Wi Fi, e-mail, etc.
A friend of mine has the Zune 80GB, and while it is beautiful and has some awesome features, there are a few things that aren't great about it. You don't get a calendar and other features. Also, you can only get music from a certain carrier -- and they charge $5 or more per download. You don't get $.99 singles like in iTunes. I heard that the Zune isn't compatible with Windows Media Player, which I find strange. (However, I am not sure about that last part.) So, all in all, I think I will stick with the iPod. Apple is such a wonderful brand, and it fits all of my needs.
25I own multiple iPods - a Classic, a Shuffle, and an iPhone. Use them in different circumstances, love them all.
Why not Zune for me? Three letters: D.R.M.
Microsoft's policies regarding digital rights management have changed multiple times since the inception of the Zune, and left a lot of wasted money and furious people (who could no longer use tracks they had previously purchased) in its wake.
Yes, Apple is DRM-ed as well - but at least I can still play the tracks I bought years ago....
(I'm not anti-Microsoft per se - I'm a PC user - just not a fan of the Zune. I'm not really buying into the aesthetics. Plus, the wallpaper on my iPhone is changeable.)
26I had both of them at some point this year. Back in the end of February, I gave in and purchased the 80GB iPod Classic (in black).
I loved it until it froze on me and deleted all but 200 of my 7,600 songs. I had purchased the service guarantee from the place that I bought it from and they sent it out to get serviced. It was deemed unrepairable so they gave me store credit back for the prorated price of the service guarantee and the price I paid for the iPod.
I bought another 80GB iPod Classic, but I brought it back the next day, unopened, and decided to explore the 80GB Zune...plus it came in red!
I've had it for about two months now and I love the Zune and would hate to go back to the hassles of the iPod and iTunes. I like how I can connect my Zune to any computer (obviously I have a PC) without the risk of losing any of my songs/videos/pictures and I adore the customizable wallpapers on the superior screen.
As far as the wireless synch, I use it every once in a while to preview songs from my friends...but in the end, it's ZunePass that keeps me happy. $15/mo to download as much music as my heart desires from Marketplace? Yes, please! WHle that itself has a couple of cons, it's nothing that I'll lose sleep over.
If I had to go back to iPod, that's cool...but the Zune has swept my heart away.
27I have to say Zune! I was an ipdo girl until it went crazy on me after exactly 1 year of use so i purchased another ipod and same thing happened have zune and LOVE IT! Approached 1 year and zero problems baby!
28iPod! Things like customizing the wallpaper aren't important to me.
29iPod by default since I don't know anyone who has/had a zune. But I
30iPod. Love it.
31i'm a marketing wh*re and therefore have an ipod. but if i made a new purchase, i would switch to either the zune or a creative zen. why? because they have more features! recorder, radio transmitter, wireless download, free music! i have a pc but will probably get a mac in a year or so, but i still won't upgrade my ipod. i'm so over it now.
32I love my Ipod
33zune FTW
34One of my friends has a zune and I tried it out when she just got it and I hated it. The interface is nothing compared to the iPod and even if the clickwheel is a bit dated, you've got to admit that when Apple just introduced it, it was waaaaaaay ahead of it's time..
I've owned tons of iPods, from the first ever and now I have a classic 180 GB. I adore the interface and how Apple did it so effortlessly. I don't need the extra stuff like recorders and radios so that's not the issue.
I like how Apple made the iPod how it's supposed to be made. It's a digital music player, that's what it is. It's not a recorder or a radio or whatever else, it's meant to play music.
The design is also a very important factor for me, I think the zune wastes a lot of space with that huge button at the bottom. It's supposed to be a touch screen, right? If I were to buy a touch screen player, I'd go with the iPod Touch, mainly because the design is really really good.
And, I've had a lot of bad experiences with Microsoft before I switched to macs so I guess that's it.. I definitely go with the iPod..
35i have an ipod because i got it free with my macbook. the zune makes me drool, but then again, i've been thinking about getting my hands on an iphone 3G... now that would be heaven!
36I've personally had four iPods and all together my family has had eight, and we have never had any problems like deleting music. I don't have a problem with the click wheel; I think it's fine. I've only experienced one of my iPods freezing maybe once or twice in the four years that I've had them, and even then you can just restart the iPod.
37I have a iphone and a ipod nano. I always wondered about the zune though especially the music transfer feature.
38Also, you can only get music from a certain carrier -- and they charge $5 or more per download. -- Actually, you can your music from anywhere, just like with ipod. Zunes play mp3s, as well as wma. Just like ipods play mp3s, as well as their exclusive mp4s.
I heard that the Zune isn't compatible with Windows Media Player, which I find strange. (However, I am not sure about that last part.) -- No, don't worry... that's not true either.
I think the zune wastes a lot of space with that huge button at the bottom. It's supposed to be a touch screen, right? -- No, it's not a touch screen. It's just that big so you can see more of the videos you download.
We've owned both ipods and Zunes (and Zens) in my house. No, I don't think the Zune is perfect - the software is actually super irritating. But I still prefer it over the ipod. Why?
(a) I actually like Zune's interface better than ipod's.
(b) Our ipods have broken. Our Zunes haven't.
(c) The radio! I don't understand why ipods STILL need a separate attachment to listen to the radio!?
(d) I'm admittedly wary of products that people only buy because all of their friends have one and it's trendy. I like to root for the underdog myself.
Truthfully, I never use the customization features on Zune, nor the wireless sync. If/when Apple make an affordable 80gb ipod touch, then I'll reconsider my stance.
39I love my Zune. It's true, as ChicBookFiend says, that it's got it's own software and doesn't work with WMP, but you can get zAlternator or zSuite and get around that.
40I luv my 8gb zune. And it's an "originals" so it's totally customized.
41I'm just a pod girl and thats all I will ever be!!
42Zune for the win!!
43A Zune definately! I actually bought one tonight and I love it!
44I have an old iPod, but I'm in the market for a new media player and I have my eyes set on a Zune 120GB!
45I have an Apple Ipod classic but the screen keeps breaking occasionally and has pixels missing so I’m thinking of getting an upgrade or a Zune... The Zune looks like a much better deal, if the only difference is the compatibility with Macs then I can imagine for a lot of people the Zune is the clear winner. It also has slightly more battery life which is always useful!
46I would pick iPod over Zune any day. Why? I owned a Zune. You pay the same price for some features that iPod classic doesn't have but instead of getting a sturdy hunk of metal you get a cheapy chunk of plastic. Really... Im not EVEN going to pay 250 bucks for a plastic MP3 player. Besides, I trust Apple's quality control and over all build quality more than anything Microsoft.
Look how often the 360 has crash, or their Operating systems over the years.
Yeah, I'd go with iPod even if I still had a PC...
47the zune is the best who ever likes ipods can kiss my ass
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