7 Ways Zune Beats iPod?

only wireless sync may be the favorable feature. the other six are not important. besides, zune is still ugly. seriously ugly.

Number 8: Works on a Mac!

Oops. They don't work on a Mac.

Let's see: the Zune doesn't work on the fastest growing OS platform. I would think if the Zune was really that great MSFT would want Macs users to try it out. Guess not. That leads me to believe MSFT just wants to PRETEND to be trying to bring to market a better MP3 player, so they can say they are in the game.

The reality is they aren't going all out. I mean, why would a company lockout 22M+ potential customers? And before you get into a tirade about "Mac vs. PC" I am asking this in strictly business terms. Seriously. If the Zune is that great MSFT should be getting it into as many hands as possible.

Oh, this was a great blog!. i laughed so hard that I fell on the floor. When will you MS folks realize that copying and buying is not the way to innovate?

Oh, the next thing you'll tell me is that the world is flat.

I'm an iPod owner, and I truly wanted Zune to give it some competition. Although the Zune features you detail look OK, they aren't enough to give the iPod a scare. The new "touch" is too amazing. Is 8 or 16 gigs enough? For most buyers, it's a resounding yes! My son just purchased a 4 gig Nano. It's so tempting, I'm looking looking at one myself.

No offense to Zune. The better it does, the better the iPod will get. It just has a long ways to go for people to take the plunge. Despite the new features, it still seems like a "me too" product. That's a far cry from a "new game in town."

This is the funniest thing I've read in a while. Haha…..rotfl.

Seriously…..ever heard of AirTunes? $99 Airport express that gives u a wireless network, printer sharing and music streaming from your iTunes on your desktop or laptop.

Subscription music?……Music is to be owned not rented like movies. End your sub and your music ends….great idea and business model….not!

Haha, I could go on….but I can't stop laughing….

Nice - I was going to dump my Zune and get a Creative Zen type device which gave me much more control over my content and how I stored and listened to it.

Now with these new features (podcasts, wireless sync and Xbox) I'll keep it for a while longer — get the upgrade and see what else was improved.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…. sniffle, whooooo….oh my, …ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!!!!! Damn…i got to hit the Back button fast…I'm about to lose my groceries I'm laughing so hard….ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…ha, ha, ha, ha….ha, ha, ha….ha…ha……..ha….(gone)

I have an iPod 5th Gen, a Zune 30G and an iPhone.

The only thing that interests me in the Zune is………. eh… er………….. huh ??

mmmm….. i think…… well…….br…. Wireless Sync (waiting for firmware 2.1)

.. the wud be fun for a one timer !

Let's take these in order:

#1 - Podcast has had the ability to be top-level on the iPod for ages. In fact, the whole top-level menu is customizable. Since you didn't know that, how wrong is the rest of this list gonna be?

#2 - If you're device is PLUGGED INTO an approved dock you can wirelessly sync it. Swell. As for letting wireless do what it was meant to do, that would be the ability to browse and purchase music on WiFi. Oops, Zune doesn't do that.

#3 - They are still DRM-infested files that explode on your device after three days. And there are still many restrictions as to what can and cannot be shared. This feature was and still is a complete bust.

#4 - Subscription music has failed everywhere it's been tried. It's a hopeless model clung to by the labels in the hope they can sucker enough people into paying them money every month.

#5 - The ability to integrate into a gaming platform (any gaming platform) is useless to 99% of the music player's intended market. It's just another stupid "feature" MS added to plug the Xbox. Counting all brands and models, are there 150 million MP3 players in use now? How many of their owners even THOUGHT about a gaming platform tie-in? Oh well, not understanding their customer is a Microsoft hallmark.

#6 - Don't fool yourself. MS had so many of the Boat Anchor 30 Zunes in the channel they couldn't just toss them all. Since the upgrade to Zune 2 wasn't that radical anyway, they made it available for the BA30 in order to clear all that dead inventory from their system.

#7 - Are you kidding me? This has been touted as an alleged missing feature of the iPod since Day 1. And guess what? NOBODY CARES. It's never been an issue because OTA radio is all but dead.

I'm glad you put a question mark at the end of the article title. Posing these as a question allows you to squirm out from under them when you realize the answer to the question is "no".

wow, are all you ipod fans too caught up in your blind love of apple and ipods to even think about the new zune? You replied by laughing, but was anything in the original document posted a lie? i have an ipod video 30Gb which is great, but itunes is so restrictive on what you can do. If i get the new zune then i'll definitly have many problems getting my music off of it, because itunes/ipod is very had to work with. The ipod video was the best product i have used so far and I use it on a daily basis, but look at the name…ipod VIDEO. If you are looking for a video player, then the zune is an obvious choice. 80GB, well a little less after its formated, is a good size for a video player. Before you cry i understand that ipod has an 80GB video coming out, and for the same price. The ipod is a video player, so why wouldnt you want the bigger screen. thus we get to the ipod touch.. great idea, but once again apple wants to screw us into $400 dollars, plus the many accesories we will want to protect it's fragile screen. Now we were talking about a zune with a 3.2 wide screen video player, with 80 GIGS. let me think…an 80GB zune with 3.2 widescreen for $250, or a 16GB ipod with a 3.7 inch wide screen for $400. The ipod touch is cool, but my current ipod has 20GBs of music and movies on it, and the 16GB of the ipod touch doesnt cut it memory wise. Now i love my current ipod, and am a Steve Jobs fearing man, but i cant jump of the apple bandwagon when the zune just seems to be the better choice. Well thats my view, crucify me for my anti-ipod review, but everything i said is true.

Eric the liar said:

"Well thats my view, crucify me for my anti-ipod review, but everything i said is true."

How can you tell when a MacSux T-shirt wearing, Apple hating, Lan-party loving, mother's basement dwelling, MS loving PeeCee Gamer is lying?

Answer: When they say they own an iPod or a Mac.

By the way, Zuneluv guys- nice site you've got here. Looks expensive, I wonder who's paying for it? Especially since most of the Google ads are for iPod products.

And a message to MS: Do you really think you can fool people with this crap?

Lies lies & BS…

http://www.thesmallwave.com/TSW/Home/Entries/2007/11/14_Zune_Love_Claims_Zune_Beats_Pod_Seven_Ways..html

You Mac-Evangelists are funny.

The point of the wireless sync is that you can sync without being plugged into anything. Having wireless syncing and sharing on a $250 player is pretty cool - even if it doesnt have an apple logo on it.

Yes, the "DRM infested files" "Explode" after 3 days. Yes, I wish they would last forever, but that's a file you would have never had on a regular ipod. Tthats 3 days to decide if you want the song and go get it yourself. Its pretty cool for the occaisional "hey check out this song" interchange between users. I probably wont use it often, but its a cool concept.

The subscription plan is not the only way to get music on your Zune. Some peolple actually like it though and its one more option. How is having more options a bad thing?

I actually use the radio occaisionally on my Zune. Not a lot, but since it didnt cost me more, its nice that its there. Again, how is having more options bad?

Ability to upgrade to the latest firmware has been a design feature from the beginning and part of the Zune product philosophy. Personally, I'm glad MS didnt take the Steve Jobs "buy a new iPod every year if you want to be hip" approach.

Sure the XBox thing thing is marketing hype as well as many other Zune features, but its a great player with a nice screen, a great interface, and excellent sound quality. Even without these new 2.0 features, I find the zune to be comparable player to the standard ipod with a bonus-sized screen.

…and big lol @ the "fastest growing OS" comment. So if I make a new OS, and get 5 people to use it, MS should support it because I have grown 500% and I now have the fastest-growing OS? Sorry, MACs are still a niche product and a competitor to MS - not worth the development expense it would require to support. I love MACs, I used to do video editing on them - they were just as good as my PCs, but you are dreaming if you think MS will support them.

Zato Danielson says i am lieing because i say that i have an ipod.

For the record i do actually have a black ipod video with eric zipp laser engraved onto the back of it. if you still dont belive me the serial nuber is JQ547CMW***.I figured id blank out a few letters just, well you know I guess i was a worng when i said anti-ipod, that was wrong, because i like my ipod, just dont want the new ipod touch. As for the basement dwelling part…well i love it down here, its so cozy and secure. Also im SEVENTEEN, not some full grown adult taking time out of his obviously unimportant schedule to blog with teens. BTW if you arent a teen atleast you arent an idiot who thinks that everyone who isnt pro-ipod touch is getting paid by zune. That is just stupid

"The point of the wireless sync is that you can sync without being plugged into anything. Having wireless syncing and sharing on a $250 player is pretty cool - even if it doesnt have an apple logo on it."

Or a Zune logo, for that matter. It needs to be plugged into an acceptable dock, you can't just wave it by your computer.

"Yes, the "DRM infested files" "Explode" after 3 days. Yes, I wish they would last forever, but that's a file you would have never had on a regular ipod. "

Good point. No one ever shared music before, EVER, until the Zune came along. Microsoft invented it. Too bad the only way to do it is to "squirt" somebody, and too bad there are MANY songs restricted from being shared.

"The subscription plan is not the only way to get music on your Zune. Some peolple [sic] actually like it though and its one more option. How is having more options a bad thing?"

It's not a "bad" thing. The article in question touted it as one of the seven advantages the Zune has over the iPod. Since subscription models fail everywhere, if it's REALLY one of the "advantages" Zune has over iPod, then the Zune is doomed.

"I actually use the radio occaisionally on my Zune. Not a lot, but since it didnt cost me more, its nice that its there. Again, how is having more options bad?"

Because the iPod never had a radio and rules the market. Therefore implying the market wants a radio (remember, this feature was claimed as one of the seven advantages) is dead wrong. The market doesn't care about having a radio anymore than they care about renting their music. As I said before, misunderstanding their market is a Microsoft hallmark.

"Ability to upgrade to the latest firmware has been a design feature from the beginning and part of the Zune product philosophy. Personally, I'm glad MS didnt take the Steve Jobs "buy a new iPod every year if you want to be hip" approach."

Apple has updated the iPod firmware numerous times. They just never needed to clear the sales channels of inventory nobody wants.

"Sure the XBox thing thing is marketing hype as well as many other Zune features, but its a great player with a nice screen, a great interface, and excellent sound quality."

It may very well be a great gaming box. But the gaming market is like pissing in the Atlantic compared to the size of the MP3 market. Suggesting that a tie-in between the two is one of seven advantages is asinine.

Bottom line is Microsoft's "7 advantages" talking points memo as published by this astroturfing site was stupid. It's dripping with Microsoft's ignorance of the MP3 player market.

"Good point. No one ever shared music before, EVER, until the Zune came along. "

–No one ever shared music from device to device without a computer. I'm sure you could do it with an iPhone or such device with an internet connection, but not with the basic iPod classic. If I'm out at the park talking to a friend and he says, "hey check out this song", he can give it to me and I can listen to it right there on the spot.

"Since subscription models fail everywhere, if it's REALLY one of the "advantages" Zune has over iPod, then the Zune is doomed. "

– again, if MS were offering that as the only option, I would agree. Its an advantage in that it is an added way to attract customers in addition to the traditional ways.

"Because the iPod never had a radio and rules the market. "

– Of course, you realize that its possible for inferior products to rule their markets. Market dominance is often the result of better marketing, timing, and many other factors. Ipod was the first with a high quality product - they created a culture. I'm not saying the iPod is inferior - its a great product, but sales numbers do not always correlate with market demand. A great example of this is a guy I work with. His wife gave him a Zune and he never opened it, he took it back and traded it for an iPod because he wanted the brand, the "in" player. He had no clue as to the features of either.

The article 7 Ways Zune Beats ipod and I agree with at least 5 of them - that they are an advantage of the Zune over the iPod. That being said, I could write an article called 7 ways the iPod Beats Zune - especially if we look at the iPod touch. Both are great products - I happen to have chosen the Zune because its features appealed to me. Other people may value the features of the iPod more and buy an iPod. I just fail to see how the Zune is a laughable piece of junk the way the sheep so often like to classify it.

Pallen,

Thanks for the response. We'll certainly have to agree to disagree on this one. I do not think the Zune is a "laughable piece of junk", but I do think this article was.

Of the seven reasons, one of them (Podcast on top menu) is just flat wrong, and three others (Subscription music service, Xbox tie-in, and Radio) are of no value to the overall MP3-player market.

For an individual such as yourself, maybe one of them is enough to push you in the Zune direction, and that's fine. But for the market as a whole, the items above have been available for a while and overwhelmingly passed over. Therefore, for this article to state that they are bona-fide advantages over the iPod is horribly mistaken.

This weird obsession Ipod users have with bashing the Zune is really childish. The only competition should be between Microsoft and Apple. I have never heard this kind of product loyalty in my life. I personally, have a Zune and I like it. Most of my friends and family have Ipods and I thought about purchasing one but I prefered the Zune. I have never heard such nonsense from grown men and women; as though they have a financial investment in a company. Theres no need to laugh or feel superior because of a piece of hardware that can be broken, stolen, lost or destroyed. Just my two cents.

first of all i want to say. I HAVE A ZUNE. and I SIMPLY LOVE IT. i dont hate ipods, i simply prefer zunes. zunes just have so many more options than ipods.

i like the fact that i can listen to the radio, because i like listening to the games that are going on if im not near a tv. an option that the IPOD does not include.

to do that with an ipod you need to buy an attachment that will range from 29.99-49.99 (depending on the brand)

Another thing that i like is that you can share music. and even though its only good for 3 days or 3 plays. AGAIN. its an option that the ipod does not have. so you get a chance to listen to a song, and decide if you want to download it yourself.

I also like the fact that the software within the zune updates itself if theres any updates available. instEAD of having to buy a new one everytime the software changes.

the screen is bigger that on the 4gb, 8gb, 80 gb, or 160gb ipods.

so i can watch all the movies i have uploaded on my zune, in a bigger, brighter, (WIDESCREEN)…display.

i also like the fact that i can put a personal picture as my menu background. its awesome.

wireless syncing. awesome!

I LOVE THE ZUNE SOFTWARE On my computer. its a lot easier than the ipod software. its not as exclusive. and it looks just like windows media player..so it was super easy for me to manage.

again i repeat. i do not hate ipods. in fact. i owned one before my zune. and i did not hate it. i just simply love my zune.

and now zunes are super thin. so theres no reason why NOT to buy one.

Own the iPod classic and the 16Gb iPod Touch. The Touch is a world apart, you can argue the iPod classic vs the Zune to death, but unless MS quickly copy the Touch soon, all these argument is useless. You'll see when you try out or buy a Touch/iPhone. Nothing in the market is close to the type of user interface on the Touch.

"If I'm out at the park talking to a friend and he says, "hey check out this song", he can give it to me and I can listen to it right there on the spot."

…or you can just listen to it on his player…

I love the touch for its browser, however it has no radio, no wireless sinc of podcasts, no 80 gig memory, no volume button, no premium earphones. The zune is not widescreen though, but it is useless for podcasts anyway as they are 4:3 most of the time. The touch doesn't play WMA. Oh and one more thing, the zune actually sounds better, no hisss and buzzz from the amplifier like the touch! sure it is nice to play with the touch, but the zune is way more practical, simply a better deal than an ipod. I wish they upgrade it with a browser… and I'm sure they are working on it… go bill! I hope jobs realizes that locking his wonderful device was the wrong move! He should give out the developper package sooner than february… tha might help the tough a great deal… an ebook reader for example… but for now, the zune is the top dog IMHO

David: "The Touch is a world apart…"

So is the price range!! Jeeze!

I am a Zune fan, especially after the upgrade of my 30 gig model. In fact, the Zune is a big enough reason to keep Windows XP on my hard drive over more space for Ubuntu! I really like the wireless sync, the FM radio, music and picture sharing sessions with my brother and friend (who also own Zunes) on top of all the I-pod Video features.

Matthew: "…or you can just listen to it on his player…"

Yes but on the Zune you will have 2 plays or 72 hours remaining, and you don't have to be in proximity of his/her player to hear the song again.

pallen:"The point of the wireless sync is that you can sync without being plugged into anything. Having wireless syncing and sharing on a $250 player is pretty cool - even if it doesnt have an apple logo on it."

Tom: "Or a Zune logo, for that matter. It needs to be plugged into an acceptable dock, you can't just wave it by your computer."

I may have replied to this on your website Tom, but to clear it up for this group, yes you can wave a Zune by your computer and it will sync. It just won't automatically sync unless it is docked. You can manually sync your library while you are dancing with it in your pocket in an open room physically connected to absolutely nothing… as long as you are in range of your wireless network.

I am defending the Zune because it is a great product, not because I am a M$ fan (or employee Haha).

the zune will never beat an ipod. never. ipods can do more

@Rashek "the zune will never beat an ipod. never. ipods can do more"

Ignorance. This is the kind of mentality that has lead to Apple's success with the ipod. Obsession with the "ipod" name is the best thing that Apple has got going for them.

If you want to make an argument, please back it up.

I have been looking into getting an mp3 player and thought I would go with the I-pod, of course the commercials with the pc and mac thing was cute, it appeared the mac users had this hippy kind of vibe and they were happy to be themselves, but from reading this post I think I will buy a zune, EVERY post from you i-pod people seems you are mad at MS and are just happier when you can degrade and belittle anyone that does not share your views. I don't think I want to be one of the I-sheep making myself happy by telling other people they are stupid, thanks for the help with my choice.

rep vs dem same as ipod vs zune

I found something every one has forgotten or didnt know that is a step up from ipod…. All Zunes can connect to a TV as a VCR/DVD Player…. If you have this http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/images/oreilly/digitalmedia/2006/11/zune-tips-fig1-cable.jpg

Here's what you need:

A Zune with the latest firmware. All Zunes are video capable, but you must have installed at least firmware version 1.1 to use the video out. This means that nearly all the first-generation Zunes that just hit the shelf must be upgraded at your PC before you can export video. Fortunately, that is not a problem. The firmware should update as part of your initial installation process.

A standard A/V cable. You'll need a splitter cable with a four-conductor mini-phone plug at one end and three RCA plugs at the other (see Figure 1). Many camcorders and other consumer electronics ship with these cables, so hunt around your house before you pop out to RadioShack. You can also find these cables on eBay for $5 or $6 shipped.

A TV with RCA-in jacks. Yes, you can connect your Zune to a TV using S-Video, but you'd need a different kind of cable. For this example, you'll need a standard set of yellow/red/white RCA jacks on your TV.

Zune-compatible video. Your Zune comes pre-loaded with about a dozen music videos that you can watch. I'll explain how to load additional videos later in this article.

Microsoft need to do way better on the Zune, I've a ipod touch and a 360 both are good but there is a differences for what they could do. The has really some super cool features but they only come in 8 gb and 16 gb. So really its a memory issue if you have over 20 gb of memory you should get a classic of a Zune. Really I think the ipod classic looks cooler than the zune but a little less features, but really. Just how looks can be, a picture can say 1000 words.

The Zune actually is a pretty nice MP3 player, despite lacking some major features.

The Good:

-A gorgeous screen. You must admit that watching a video on the iPod's cramped 2.5 inch screen isn't as enjoyable as watching it on the Zune's 3.2 inch wide screen display.

-Social. Even though the Zune isn't a very popular item, a lot of people still have Zune's and being able to share music and pictures with them wirelessly is a big step forward in the wireless world.

-Wireless sync with PC. Sometimes when I don't want to have to dock my Zune, sit down, load everything up, wait for it to sync while I could be doing other things, and then take it off the dock and leave, Just being able to set my Zune down on my desk and let it sync for me is a great feature and I find myself using it constantly.

-FM tuner. Sometimes, when I hear something I like on the radio, but I can't quite name the song, being able to go on my Zune and going to the FM station seeing the song title and artist really helps when I want to go buy it later.

The Bad:

-No clock. I mean, c'mon Microsoft. Even a complete imbecile could think to add a feature as simple as that.

-Bulky. Not the most pocket-friendly device.

-Non-compatable with iTunes. Sure, this is expected with any non-Apple device, but iTunes Music Store is outstanding.

-Takes forever to charge. I don't want to wait forever,

-Lack of extras. iPod do have a lot of great extra feature such as games, notes, contacts, calendar, stopwatch, alarm clock, coverflow, and world time.

-NIKE+IPOD. SO USEFUL. If Microsoft came up with something like it, I doubt it would be very good.

Overall:

Zune is a pretty good MP3 player, but it lacks some common features that we all love to have on the iPod. A clode-to-even competiton.

The Zune is ugly? You clearly have no idea what you are talking about. Sure, the iPod's look great and shiny right out of the box, but they scratch within days! I've had my Zune 80 for two months, not a single scratch. The only reason you might want an iPod over a Zune is iTunes support, but I'd go with better hardware over better software any day.

Before you go and make a comment, check your facts. All you have to do is set up your Zune with the wireless network. Then, it can be anywhere (NOT just connected to a dock, mine was on my bed) and you click SYNC. In 4 minutes the Zune had synced about 10 new songs and 3 new video podcasts. So much for having to plug it into a dock.

shut up homie, a zune is better, ipod dont have wireless sync,ipods cant send music,ipods dont have fm radio,ipods cant put a picture as ur backround, ipods cant send pictures, u cant name ipods either probably in ur head but zunes, u can name them and when u send whatever, it tells who it came from,,plus when u play a song, it shows the picture of the ablum in fullscreen as for ipod, it only shows a little picture. zunes came out before ipod touch so ipod touch copied zunes lik when u watch movies, ur screen goes sideways or showin pictures in full veiw, coverin up the screen,,,,i think i proved ur ass wrong homeboy

get review. kudos

i own an iPod nano, and i think it works well. though its has its flaws, the only problem i have with it is that it has only 4GB and im quickly running out of storage. now this is an error on my part, so im thinking about trying an 80GB Zune. (all my music is from ripped from CD's so rebuying my music isn't a problem for me.) so when i started looking into what the zune has to offer i quickly fell into what seemed like a battle ground between Apple and MS Fans. so i have a question? does it REALLY matter what company made the product? i mean seriously? they both work about the same and are roughly the same price, plus or minus a few small features here and there. does it really matter if Apple gets your money or MS? i couldnt really care less who made it. if it holds music, plays it and sounds good, im happy. why does it matter?

Honestly I hate my Ipod. I have had 2 brake on me (20gb and 80gb), and now I am waiting on the third to brake (30gb which i got for free this time). I have had to many problems out of the Nazi society called apple, and will try to avoid there products as much as possible. As for you Mac users, you can eat one with your holier then art thou because I don't know how to update drivers and download patches for my pc. I own a 80gb zune now and love it. The whole interface is so user friendly, and guess what? It hasn't crashed nor slowed down like all 3 of the ipods I have had. You can say what you want about Ms, but I can do anything a mac user can do with xp and more. Do you know why? I am not a complete tool. Let me ask you guys a question. How many pc users run apple os emulators on there pc? I don't know any. Hey mac users? Can you even Build your own computer? Of course not. And if you knew how to build a computer, you would know how apple takes advantage of there customers through exclusive computer parts through only a few oem's and charges a ridicules amount of money for them. The apple community needs a lot of schooling, because if you can't even use a pc effectively, you shouldn't even own a computer period!

The 2nd generation Zunes out sold the newest iPODS. I simply have to ask. Why do you iPOD people hate something that you say you will not buy?

This is like writting an article about how you HATE a Ford Mustang, becasue you REALLY kike your Prius. Why do you care?

If you own an IPOD becasue your iTUNE are locked you are stuck forever. Personally that was one reason to not buy one. The other honestly was their communities. Mostly filled with children and whinners like you find here.

Based on that I bought a ZUNE. It has better sound then the iPOD, something even Apple admits. The larger screen IS nicer, and it works.

MS will add games and everything esle over time, and with ZEN and other brands nipping at Apple their market share will keep falling, at some point it will go into the red and in 10 years it iPODS will me an afterthought.

And I think that is what you fear. That APPLE became lazy at the top of the market and now produces a sub-standard product, kept alive my monemtum and captive music users tied to iTUNES. TI think you fear that you hitched your wagon to a falling star.

Buy what you want, both units do what they say. But look 3-4 years out and make sure you buy a unit (zune) with a future.

i like the zune 80, i have a touch and 5th gen ipod. but i use my zune more then the 5th gen. i like how the zune has fm radio cause all the pre installed docks have the worse speakers known to man. yes even the bose really suck ass. i like the screen size i think its perfect for vodcast. plus the new crack for drm allows you to download music for free, thats unlimited music. you cant compare the touch with the zune cause the touch has only 16 gig and its a hundred dollars more expensive. plus the music components are alot higher quality in the zune then the touch, do a fz test the zune comes out better then the touch. the video compression is better on the zune to do to more compression formats. i do like the customer service for the ipod but i would still pick the zune over the ipod classic.

Ok. Here are my comments on this article:

"Podcast as top-level entry." Ok, I know you don't like how Podcasts are in the music section on iPods, but you can take them out of that section, actually, by going to settings in your iPod…

"Wireless sync." Well, this is a nice feature. But it's not a big deal to plug in an iPod. Plus, this feature makes the Zune nice and BULKY. And also, when you said, "I love people with $300+ media center docking stations for their iPod who still have to disconnect and move their iPod every time they want new content on their player.", that was flat-out RUDE. First you trash-talk iPods, now you're trash-talking people who own iPods too.

"Wireless sharing." Yes, about that, you only get to share stuff for, like, 10 seconds.
"Xbox integration." Nice feature, but what you said about Apple TV being "silly"…IT"S NOT "SILLY". It's a totally different concept from Apple TV.

"Free upgrade." Well, you were whining about how iPods NEVER have free upgrades…actually, they are USUALLY FREE. @_@ I'm getting tired of this article trash-talking the iPod just to make the Zune look good.

"Radio." This is a good feature although you can buy it for the iPod too. But it is nice that the Zune has it built-in.

Well, when it comes down to it, that article just trash-talked Apple all the way through. But Zunes are, basicaly, copies of iPods. THEY WEREN'T REALLY MICROSOFT'S IDEA. It was all based off of iPods.

Plus, Zunes are just plain UGLY and hardly portable. And expensive.

Zunes are…OK, SORT OF. But look…iPod could beat Zunes ANY DAY, in my opinion. And STOP THE TRASH-TALK, ok?!

Can sum1 just tell me whether 2 get a Zune or an iPod!

Zune doesn't have a clock.

I don't care about podcasts, wireless sync, or the dumb social for the Zune.

iPod has a clock.

I don't know much about iPod.

I have a Zune 30gb, but I'm trying 2 figure out whether I should upgrade to an iPod Classic 80gb or a Zune 80gb.

Sum1 TELL ME PLZ!

look dumbass…you don't have to buy music for the zune…I have a 30GB black zune and i use limewire for my music…you douchebag!!!

How about you losers stop arguing over which one is better. Their mp3 players!! Their not that great. Get a life. Zunes are good, Ipods aren't all that bad. Wow. Who gives a s**t.

Ok, I have owned many iPods and I have used many of my friends zunes.

For the record, I wrote this whole response on my iPhone.

I think that iPods and zunes are both great products, and I agree this is a fight between mac lovers and pcf lovers. I personally love apples stuff because it looks good and feels good to use. But then again I love xp and fully stand behind microsoft. And my iPhone sucks, I have to admit. Huge lack of features. But I can listen to the radio thatbks to the app store, it could recieve wireless sync. And I have intact shared my library with other computers and media players before when I had my itouch.

My 2st gen nano-200

Itouch 250

iPhone-299

I got some good prices for mystuff.

I say all you dicks stop fghting and just leave eachother alone. Nobody really cares what any of us think. It's true I swear.

But just for my 2 cents:

IF I WAS OFFERED AN 80gb ZUNE OR AN 80gb IPOD, IPOD ALL THE WAY

@Chuck (somewhere up the top), who asked why doesn't MSFT allow Zune to be on a Mac:

Speaking strictly business, MSFT is perfectly sound not developing for the Mac. Firstly, Apple is its competitor. Why the hell would you want open your product to your competitor? I think MSFT is trying to get back at Apple using the Zune. If MSFT gave Zune to Mac users, a lot of fanboys would immediately diss it. It would just be a waste of development money. To compete against the iPod among everyday users is a challenge. Competing against the iPod in its own territory (the RDF) is suicide.

Another reason, again speaking business. Most Mac users already worship Steve Jobs and would buy an iPod even if there was a better MP3 player made by God. Most Mac users hate MSFT. Steve already gave his rude and unprofessional disapproval of the Zune in one of his interviews ("Do you even know anyone who owns a Zune?!") Riiiiight….so the Zune would be popular among Mac users?

Another reason that isn't so business-minded…A lot of Mac users switch to Mac because they either are too dumb or lazy to figure out a PC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tq7yykR-DM (don't be offended by the title, just look at the video)
Maybe the Zune software might be too much for Mac users?

A completely un-business-minded reason: Macs are retarded XD

First i would like to say i love my zune simply cause 1 it doesnt freeze, 2the screen is bigger,3 i can wirlessly sync to and from my zune to my pc and to x box 360 no wires or docks needed, 4 with update 3.0 i get a clock, 2 games, podcasts, and a combination lock, 5 ive had it for 6 months and no scratches anywhere not even the screen,6 its a gen 1- 30 gig but it updates itself whenever it needs to, 7 (the most important) the music quality is better than any player out there even cd players, ive tested with ohm meters, decibel meters, spectrum anylizers. i tested against my pc, an ipod 30 classic, all the cd players in my house, using the same set of speakers and receiver( kenwood KA-305 with realistic optimus 29 studio speakers)the result was warmer tone an almost 10 decibel gain boost (over my pc) a 15 decibel gain boost (over ipod) 10 decibel gain boost (over cd players) (note, there was some variances in the models of cd players, mostly the higher end players played closer to zune quality) there is almost no hiss very little pop(usually the pop happens when the song track switched as a result of amplifier cut off ) each of these was a result of the reciever not the zune, my uncle bought me the zune from a pawn shop for 100 dollars with the ability to return it if i didnt like it or it messed up, he gave me the option of the 30 gig ipod classic or a zune and i asked if i could try them both and then decide, after a month of testing of course i chose the zune, it has video, it has a radio, the sound quality is better, wma's and wmv's take up less space and have the same quality as mp3's and mp4's, it works hand in hand with my pc (duh) and now with 3.0 i get games, a clock and the ability to lock it so no one can look at my porn but me! finally i would like to add none of the classic ipods can play vids ,wirelessly sync, have clocks or combo locks or games, of course the some of the newer ones can do some of the things that zune gen 1 can do only the i touch can do all of them and more and why would i pay 400 dollars for it when i can pay 100 for the zune? I am not an ipod hater they are good mp3 players but i want quality sound and video and games in a small package ( the size of a cassete case) if i want a mini computer to surf the web id buy an i touch or somthing like that.( final note, i used TDK's ultimate guide to great sound cd, a must have if your an audiophile like me, also i ripped this cd at 192 kb/s as i have for all my cd's its windows media highest setting and its what i use for all my music that has been synced to my zune ) by the way i have 1552 songs, 8 feature length movies( including Iron Man) 3 pornos, 200 pics and wallpapers and it only takes up 10.83 gigs.

Wow i read this whole thread, it disturbs me.. you ipod worshipers are only dissing MS because your too freaking retarded to use it. go f*ck a goat you losers, MS makes Mac look like a freaking cockroach, and thats alll it will be, it will always be stuck in MS's shadow, nothing more, therefore, just like ms rapes mac, zune WILL rape i-pod, its just a matter of time.

Bottom line zune has been in the iPods shadow for years and it is gonna continue to be that way. Also I wrote this comment on my iPod can zune do that?

The Zune has time now AND games. Plus, all of the games are FREE. But really..This is all a matter of opinion and its just people who have been supporting ipods for years are too stubborn to actually look at an up to date Zune and actually compare it to the ipod. But just another notee, with the Zune you really just have to update the software and its as good as any of the newer Zune[s] that are coming out.

I love my zune 30 - it has all the features of the current gen models, and it's ~2 years old!

I have nothing against iPods as a product, but everything against the true-to-stereotype narcissistic sheep that use them, and the company that lives off of them.

Its how you look at it. iPods are equally uglier, (if not more, but by no means less either) devices. Zune has a thousand things going for it. iPods are dominating only because of their first mover advantage. Just look at the glorious screen on the zune and u'll fall for it. The iPod can't even come close. And who says that ppl do not prefer listening to Radio. Obviously there might be no point in buying a Radio of this price, but frankly tell me, how many times have you felt the urge of listening to that newest song that's making the rounds and you can't hear it coz you don't have it…. the Radio surely comes in handy….

Zune Rocks…

This is my opinion, but after the xbox360 ROD (ring of death) I dont think microsoft is a very good company for anything. I dont reccomend buying their products, you may have to buy another one.

"Chuck @ 10:26 am
Number 8: Works on a Mac!

Oops. They don't work on a Mac.

Let's see: the Zune doesn't work on the fastest growing OS platform. I would think if the Zune was really that great MSFT would want Macs users to try it out. Guess not."

Fastest growing O.S.? only because less than 10 percent of computer users use them already so in my opinion its not a big deal, macs are pretty much just for dinging around on the internet and college, or i suppose if your some gay graphic designer or something…

Well actually I like the Zune 2. I bought the 120Go one and it's cool. And cheaper…

wow! what a complete idiot to whine about ipod!