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Microsoft Zune vs. Apple’s iPod
I was just reading about Zune, Microsoft’s version of Apple’s iPod, and sales in the first two weeks of its release are impressive.
If you’ve been reading this blog for at least a year, you may remember a post I wrote back in January about how I knew next to nothing about Blackberries, how they worked, etc and inquired as to what they were all about, so I think with that post I established that I’m nowhere close to being a tech-wizard 
With that in mind, would ya’ll explain to me what the big deal is about iPod’s (and now Zune’s)? A Blackberry is out of the question for me, as I don’t want to be that tied to a computer, but from my understanding an iPod is not a communication device but a media device you can listen to music, watch videos, etc, on. Are they simple to use?
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10 Responses to “Microsoft Zune vs. Apple’s iPod”
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Hey ST!
I have an iPod Shuffle. I love it. There is nothing better than to be able to have your favorite music in the car or while working out. I think FM radio is doomed because of these things. Why wait while the radio plays 15 versions of hip hop crud to get the one song that you like. Download it for a buck and go. I haven’t listened to FM since I was given mine last Christmas. Also, all those 1 hit wonder songs that you liked can be yours for a buck as well. You no longer have to buy an entire 15 dollar CD for the one or two songs you like.
I would bet that there isn’t going to be much difference between and iPods, Zunes or other mp3/video/etc players in the future. iTunes, Napster, Wal-mart has tons of songs from all types. Current, past. Heck, I can (and will) get that Michigan-Washington State game back in 1997 where UM won the national championship in football. It’s only a buck.
Seriously, it’s a great time to be alive. These things are incredible. I highly recommend getting one. They are extremely easy to use. Once you get one, you’ll wonder why it took you so long to get it.
I have an iPod.
It is fairly simple to use. It comes with iTunes which you can use to convert CD’s to mp3′s (don’t use the default format of AAC). Once you have them converted to mp3 files you only need to hookup your iPod to your computer and you can let iTunes transfer everything to your iPod for you automatically.
As usual with Apple, they did not invent the product but Steve Jobs simply vested it with total coolness. MP3 players have been around for a long time now, the iPod just has the Apple hipness that identifies the user as a cutting edge free spirited authority questioning world changing iconoclast.
I have over six gig of MP3s I downloaded back when Napster’s glory days coincided with my having broadband internet access at work. They live on my downstairs desktop computer and whenever I feel like listening to any of them I do, from whichever computer I’m on at the time (they’re all networked).
But I do not have any MP3 player at all, largely because I’m not interested in bringing a soundtrack to my life wherever I go. I’m some sort of Jurassic throwback I suppose, and am only interested in listening to music when at home.
These days it’s easy to make your own MP3s from media you already have, provided you can pipe it through a computer with the right software. Even Windows Media Player can convert them, or you can spend lots of money to purchase professional quality software. Or, you can find freeware or shareware in the usual places (like TUCOWS). Anyone can do it, regardless of how sophisticated their equipment and knowledge is.
Thanks for the info so far, ya’ll. I just may invest in one of these things in the very near future.
Last year for Christmas my wife bought me a 60 Gig Ipod Video, and I got her a 4 Gig Ipod Nano. The Nano is definitely the sexier of the two machines, very small and slick. The Ipod and the Zune are just music players, although the Ipod Video and Zune will play videos, unless you have much better eyes than I do you won’t want to watch on a postage stamp sized screen.
Whether or not you “need” one depends on how much you like music and like having it portable. I’m not the kind who has to have headphones jammed in my ears all the time, but when you do want music, these are nice little devices. I primarily use mine to plug into my office radio at work, I basically have enough storage space on the Ipod to hold every piece of music I have, and I’ve enjoyed buying just single songs from ITunes rather than entire albums.
You can also get car stereos that allow you to plug an IPod or other MP3 player into them, some cars come this way (I think Ford has announced that almost all of it’s new cars will come with an Ipod/MP3 player port), others you can add a plug or an FM transmitter to allow you to do this. This is, to me, the killer app, all that music and no commercials, no screwing around with CDs, etc. I don’t have the connection in my car yet, trying to figure out how to make it and my Sirius radio coexist with the one input to my cars stereo, but I’ll get there eventually.
I know the IPod can also store and show pictures, addresses/phone numbers, etc. It’s not as good as a PDA or phone for addresses/phone numbers, but it’s a good backup if you carry your tunes with you you’ll always have your numbers. You can also use them as an outboard memory “stick” to store files for the computer.
A pretty flexible device all in all.
I have a Dell DJ, a device similar to the early iPods.
It has 15 gigs of space for MP3s which lets me load about 5000 at a time. I love it and if it dies i want another.
The new iPods are nice, I bought my daughter a Nano, and she loves it. I detest iTunes synch system however, so I will get a different manufacturer if I replace mine.
I also however want a pocket PC, or a blackberry or a similar device to do computing things on a protable basis.
I have a transistor radio that only plays AM when the batteries are new. I love technology.
I have a Creative Zen Micro. Every technology review I’ve read says the sound quality beats the pants off the iPod, and my experience is in line with that. I’m not interested in loading up photos or synchronizing my Outlook calendar with it, but it’s possible if you want to use the disk space. I’ve got about 500 songs on it and it’s half empty. Mostly, it’s great for long air trips, or to use while working out.
The lousy thing is despite the better quality, the Zen is a dying product because it’s hard to compete with the market’s iPod overload. It’s also tough to find good accessories for it. I’m thinking I bought the MP3 version of the Betamax.
Marshall Art wrote, “I have a transistor radio that only plays AM when the batteries are new. I love technology.”
I have one I listen to at my desk at work everyday. Keeps me in the loop with Rush, Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Prager, Laura Ingraham, etc.
I listen to it 1,000 times more than my iPod.
I’d second the positive review of the Creative Zen players. Creative’s been a significant player in digital sound for a long time (e.g., “soundblaster” computer audio cards)and their portables seem really nice. They have audio, audio+video at a few different capacities/performance/price levels. My general impression is that they’re not as hobbled by compatibility and battery service issues as Apple and MS stuff seems to be. I’d give them a look. CNet typically has pretty good basic reviews of this kind of stuff. Amazon and Tiger Direct post customer reviews with the products. Frankly, those are the reviews I’ve found most helpful.