Zune vs. Ipod

[atybimf]

My old 10GB Ipod is dying on me so I decided it was time for a new gadget. My mom is really weird about having to have something to give me on Christmas day or my birthday and this Thursday is my birthday. So I need to decide between the Ipod and the Zune by tonight to make sure I get it by Thursday.

The Zune is cheaper ($225 + $2 FedEx 2 day shipping at ZipZoomFly).

I have played around with my friend's Zune and I thought the user interface was very good, probably about the same as the Ipod's clickwheel.

I like iTunes and I think it's much better than the Zune's software. However, almost all of my music is ripped/downloaded so it would all move over to a Zune pretty easily.

I like the look of the iPod better, but the Zune's material is superior (no scratches/fingerprints).

The Zune wins on extras with the radio tuner and wifi. Although the wifi is pretty handicapped by the 3 listen limit.

The iPod has a higher res screen but the Zune has a larger screen.

Both 30GB. The Zune is thicker than the iPod but not by enough to be an issue.

Overall, I think I'm leaning towards the Zune because I like watching movies on it better and it's more rugged. However I want to hear your opinions. Posts going more into detail than "iPod pwns" are appreciated.

Update: I went with a black Zune. Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[ultimatebob]

How about a Creative Zen Vision player instead?

 

[Demo24]

I've got a zune and really enjoy it. My friend who has an Ipod isn't quite as fond of his Ipod, and is thinking about getting a zune.

 

[ElFenix]

i still don't understand why you'd bother listening to FM radio when you can put practically any music you want on the mp3 player

oh, and the touch screen ipod is going to kill the zune.

 

[oogabooga]

this topic has been discussed pretty extensively on these forums

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1954021&enterthread=y
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1960865&enterthread=y
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1969691&enterthread=y
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1982170&enterthread=y

forgot to mention : I do like my zune quite a bit.

 

[BrianH1]

i had the same dilemma as you. I decided on the 30 gig ipod refurb from apple.com. $100 bux cheaper, same warranty and all. the ipod also has a lot more 3rd party (aftermarket) products than the zune at the moment. and i seem to trust apple's customer service a bit more than MS.

 

[ntdz]

I have an Ipod and a Zune, and while both are excellent mp3 players, I prefer my Zune. I leave my Ipod in my car connected to my deck, and use my Zune as my main mp3 player. I like the Zune's interface much better, I think it looks better and videos on it are superior. The resolution on the Zune and Ipod are the same, the Zune just has a bigger display so the Ipod has more pixels per inch. It is definitely true the Zune is more rugged, and you basically have to use a case with the Ipod which negates its smaller size.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
i still don't understand why you'd bother listening to FM radio when you can put practically any music you want on the mp3 player

oh, and the touch screen ipod is going to kill the zune.

YOu mean the one that's also a phone and a computer and costs 3x as much?

 

[atybimf]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
How about a Creative Zen Vision player instead?

not a Creative Zen guy.

Originally posted by: ElFenix
i still don't understand why you'd bother listening to FM radio when you can put practically any music you want on the mp3 player

oh, and the touch screen ipod is going to kill the zune.

You talking about the iPhone or the next gen iPod or something? Either way its irrelevant seeing as I'm buying one tonight..

Originally posted by: oogabooga
this topic has been discussed pretty extensively on these forums

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1954021&enterthread=y
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1960865&enterthread=y
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1969691&enterthread=y
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1982170&enterthread=y

forgot to mention : I do like my zune quite a bit.

sorry, I searched and got nothing...I must suck at searching

 

[BabaBooey]

Zune all day long...:beer:

 

[route66]

I'm getting tired of waiting for Apple's next-gen 'touchscreen' iPod. Is it still coming?

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: route66
I'm getting tired of waiting for Apple's next-gen 'touchscreen' iPod. Is it still coming?

I'd expect it to be released around the same time as the new iPhone in June, if not earlier. The existing video iPod is starting to look a bit dated compared to the competition now.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: route66
I'm getting tired of waiting for Apple's next-gen 'touchscreen' iPod. Is it still coming?

Yeah, it's called the iPhone and it's coming out in June.

 

[atybimf]

Originally posted by: ntdz
The resolution on the Zune and Ipod are the same, the Zune just has a bigger display so the Ipod has more pixels per inch.

Yeah I forgot. I mean the iPod's display is sharper.

 

[TitanDiddly]

I've got a Zune, and I really like it. The big screen is great. Yeah, I know it's the same resolution, but when has that let anyone stop them from buying a 56" 1080i TV instead of a 42" 1081i?

 

[rockyct]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: route66
I'm getting tired of waiting for Apple's next-gen 'touchscreen' iPod. Is it still coming?

Yeah, it's called the iPhone and it's coming out in June.

and it costs $600.

 

[ntdz]

Originally posted by: rockyct

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: route66
I'm getting tired of waiting for Apple's next-gen 'touchscreen' iPod. Is it still coming?

Yeah, it's called the iPhone and it's coming out in June.

and it costs $600.

And it's only 8gb.

 

[Darthvoy]

i was in the same boat and I ended up getting an iPod. I really like it.

 

[Injury]

Being a Zune owner, I can admit that the Zune has its faults, but I'm happy with my purchase.

My biggest gripe is that the Zune software is kinda clunky.

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: ntdz

Originally posted by: rockyct

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: route66
I'm getting tired of waiting for Apple's next-gen 'touchscreen' iPod. Is it still coming?

Yeah, it's called the iPhone and it's coming out in June.

and it costs $600.

And it's only 8gb.

And it only works on Cingular... but that isn't the point! It won't be out for another 4 months anyway.

 

[CtK]

I got the Toshiba Gigabeat S60(60GB) from woot.com for $199.99, a few days ago and it is bad ass!!
the controls are so easy to use, the screen is very clear and sharp. Love being able to press one button to get to a menu.
i just plug it in and open windows explorer and XP recognizes it. no need for any stupid software.

the only thing that sucks is tat it only plays WMV videos

 

[AnyMal]

Anything but iPod will serve you better

 

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: CtK
I got the Toshiba Gigabeat S60(60GB) from woot.com for $199.99, a few days ago and it is bad ass!!
the controls are so easy to use, the screen is very clear and sharp. Love being able to press one button to get to a menu.
i just plug it in and open windows explorer and XP recognizes it. no need for any stupid software.

the only thing that sucks is tat it only plays WMV videos

i just read a review that said that it's MTP.. So you have to transfer files through WMP, or in explorer through the special file sharing system. Based on my iRiver experience, MTP sucks.

 

[CtK]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe

Originally posted by: CtK
I got the Toshiba Gigabeat S60(60GB) from woot.com for $199.99, a few days ago and it is bad ass!!
the controls are so easy to use, the screen is very clear and sharp. Love being able to press one button to get to a menu.
i just plug it in and open windows explorer and XP recognizes it. no need for any stupid software.

the only thing that sucks is tat it only plays WMV videos

i just read a review that said that it's MTP.. So you have to transfer files through WMP, or in explorer through the special file sharing system. Based on my iRiver experience, MTP sucks.

whats MTP??
i just hook it up, open windows explorer and it shows up as Toshiba Gigabeat S under My Computer

under a Media folder it has Music, Pictures, and Videos folder. I dont know how much easier it can get then that

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: ntdz

Originally posted by: rockyct

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: route66
I'm getting tired of waiting for Apple's next-gen 'touchscreen' iPod. Is it still coming?

Yeah, it's called the iPhone and it's coming out in June.

and it costs $600.

And it's only 8gb.

And it only works on Cingular... but that isn't the point! It won't be out for another 4 months anyway.

and Cisco owns the name "iphone"