The helpful comments I received on my Nikon D50 vs Canon 350d post, helped me chose my camera, the Canon 350d. The comments I received on my Nokia N70 vs Sony Ericsson W800i post helped me chose my W800i cellphone. Now the time has come for to pick a music player.
All I want for Christmas is a ….
A few months ago the decision as to what portable Music player I should get would probably have been pretty straight forward. I would have followed the masses of sheep and purchased an Apple iPod. Then a curve ball was thrown and the Microsoft Zune entered the market. The battle has begun…
Is the Microsoft Zune a wannabe Apple iPod? Or is the Microsoft Zune the iPod killer?
There is lots of debate on this topic. Both players cost the same price, they both store 30gb, they weigh roughly the same, they look roughly the same, and they are about the same size. More specifically though, the battery life of the iPod is about 2 hours longer, and the Zune screen is slightly bigger. Hmmm… none of that helps me really in my decision making.
The Zune allows wireless song and picture sharing with other Zune Players, and it has an in-built radio. Now that helps! Wireless song and picture sharing could certainly come in handy, and I won’t have to fork out more money for an iPod radio extension piece.
What one must not forget about is the software debate between these Music Players. iTunes vs. Zune Software.
It doesn’t look like you can use the iTunes software with the Microsoft Zune? That would be quite a nice feature, and probably persuade a lot more ipod users to switch.
The Zune software can import all your purchased iTunes tracks though, all your playlists (except for the smart playlists), as well as all the ratings you have given each individual songs. This would help in the migration. The iTunes store does look a lot more slick though, more like a multimedia centre than the Zune’s web application look.
iTunes has about 3.5 million songs avaliable online, and sells videos, the Zune has around 2 million songs avaliable and does not currently sell videos. The Zune software is also supposed to be quite unstable with certain versions of Windows. Looks like Zune have to play catch up here.
A pro for Zune, and its software, is that its music playback is supposed to top the ipod’s. Its default equaliser settings supposedly sound fuller. Source: Gizmodo again.
Should the Zune play catch up before it is considered a viable alternative to the iPod? Or has it done enough to impress you?
I really want to hear your comments on this battle of portable music players. Who has got what? Are you happy with your iPod? What kind of iPod do you have? Help the millions like me to decide what to buy for Christmas.
At the moment, to be honest, I am siding with Apple and its iPod Nano. Should Microsoft rather have aimed at competing with this cheaper, smaller, more popular alternative?
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