iPod vs. Zune and everything else

[luv2tikl]

I started a PC vs. Mac thread last night, a topic which is fun to discuss but that I'm fairly neutral about. The topic of the iPhone and iPod was brought up, and that's a topic that I can really get into.

Anyway, I'm the proud owner of the new 80g Zune. I do admit that Microsoft could've done a lot better, but it's still a great alternative for someone who doesn't want to be a part of the Apple iPod's dynasty, which is primarily in existence because of massive popularity.

Ok, so now you know how I feel. This should be fun, lol.

 

[Goodieluver]

I got a 4 gig 1.5 inch screen Zen. Accidentally washed it and still works. Its awesome. Contains over 300 choice songs and my fave futurama ep, can't complain

 

[Icycle]

I've been a Mac user for about 16 years. Even before I bought an iPod, I had already ripped all my CDs into MP3s for use in iTunes. And to top it off, I have several family members who have been vocal proponents of iPods for years. So the choice for me to get an iPod, as opposed to some other digital music player was a simple one. I've been a iPod user for a couple of years now, since the release of the 1GB iPod Nano, and since then have acquired an iPod shuffle (gift), iPod Nano 8GB, and an iPhone.

Nearly all of the music in my collection is ripped from CDs I own, a tiny bit ripped from CDs borrowed from friends. None of it is downloaded from pirate music sites, and very little is bought from the iTunes Music Store.

I'm not strongly tied to Apple's platform by DRM. But the user experience on the iPhone is amazing, and the integration between iPods and iTunes is excellent. Nothing I've heard about the Zune, Zen, or any other digital music player has made me want to even consider jumping ship.

 

[luv2tikl]

I got a 4 gig 1.5 inch screen Zen. Accidentally washed it and still works. Its awesome. Contains over 300 choice songs and my fave futurama ep, can't complain

I had a Zen Vision 30g. It was really cool, but really lacking in a lot of ways. The main problem I had was that, for some reason, I couldn't get my movies converted in the right format and, they'd play, but I couldn't fastfoward, rewind, or pause them... and if I quit watching and went back I'd have to start from the beginning, so, that really sucked.

Creative made me mad because they totally ditched the Vision for the Vision:W, instead of letting them co-exist. EVERYTHING shifted over to the Vision:W and the Vision:M, and since then they've ditched both of them for the new Zen, the tiny little high capacity flash player, which, in all honesty I would've rather had any of the other players than that one... So, creative made me mad and I jumped over to the new Zune, and it has delivered quite well. I can easily put movies on it and they work great and look awesome on the screen (which kicks the Zen Vision's ass in color quality and the iPod classic's in size), and I also love the huge album art thing.

I've been a Mac user for about 16 years. Even before I bought an iPod, I had already ripped all my CDs into MP3s for use in iTunes. And to top it off, I have several family members who have been vocal proponents of iPods for years. So the choice for me to get an iPod, as opposed to some other digital music player was a simple one. I've been a iPod user for a couple of years now, since the release of the 1GB iPod Nano, and since then have acquired an iPod shuffle (gift), iPod Nano 8GB, and an iPhone.

Nearly all of the music in my collection is ripped from CDs I own, a tiny bit ripped from CDs borrowed from friends. None of it is downloaded from pirate music sites, and very little is bought from the iTunes Music Store.

I'm not strongly tied to Apple's platform by DRM. But the user experience on the iPhone is amazing, and the integration between iPods and iTunes is excellent. Nothing I've heard about the Zune, Zen, or any other digital music player has made me want to even consider jumping ship.

I have no problem admitting that the iPhone is amazing, but I also really doubt that most of it's buyers actually need a phone like that... it's just a really, really expensive and nifty gadget. What's funny is that I've seen a buttload of teenagers with iPhones, but when adults are asked why they don't have one, they reply "I can't afford it." Absolutely cracks me up, and then saddens me that my generation is so damn spoiled... It did make me mad that it won the gadget of the year award, mainly because you look through the list of competitors and you see these really neat advancements that are really productive and such, such as new advancements in prosthetics, for example, yet it's the iPhone that takes the cake... A PHONE! Sure, it's cool, but is it really that great when you put it next to these other great scientific advancements that are actually moving us forward? It makes people's lives easier by allowing them unlimited Facebook and email access, while other inventions are actually doing something significant, like making amputee's lives a little easier... And we give the prize to an effing PHONE... That's sad, in my humble opinion.

I think it is worth mentioning that I actually considered buying the iPod touch when it first came out... That is, until I saw it's price tag 😱 No thanks, think I'll pass and buy twice the storage space for half the price, minus the fancy, head turning interface. I got exactly what I payed for.

 

[Goodieluver]

I had a Zen Vision 30g. It was really cool, but really lacking in a lot of ways. The main problem I had was that, for some reason, I couldn't get my movies converted in the right format and, they'd play, but I couldn't fastfoward, rewind, or pause them... and if I quit watching and went back I'd have to start from the beginning, so, that really sucked.

Creative made me mad because they totally ditched the Vision for the Vision:W, instead of letting them co-exist. EVERYTHING shifted over to the Vision:W and the Vision:M, and since then they've ditched both of them for the new Zen, the tiny little high capacity flash player, which, in all honesty I would've rather had any of the other players than that one... So, creative made me mad and I jumped over to the new Zune, and it has delivered quite well. I can easily put movies on it and they work great and look awesome on the screen (which kicks the Zen Vision's ass in color quality and the iPod classic's in size), and I also love the huge album art thing.

Some vids i have trouble converting but not all

I didnt get it for video watching really, just occasionally if im on a plane. I got it primarily for music\car use and it was only 99 dollars

 

[luv2tikl]

Some vids i have trouble converting but not all

I didnt get it for video watching really, just occasionally if im on a plane. I got it primarily for music\car use and it was only 99 dollars

Yeah, my Zune's been out of a job lately because my car's tape player quit working (I used a tape adapter) and FM transmitters suck! Makes me sad...

I had a 1g Zen Nano before my 30g, it was a pretty good one too, back when MP3 players only played music.

 

[locker669]

iPod is like a good friend who is always there for you. You always know exactly what you are getting into when you hang around with him.

Zune is the kid that promises a lot but in the end let's you down. He tries to act like your good friend but in the end you realize he's just an imitation.

That being said I own a refurbished iPod and love it. I have the FM modulator and it's pretty good unless someone else near you uses the same frequency and cuts into my music.

 

[SirDigbyChickenCaesar]

I own an 80 gb Zune and I love it. I am far from a Microsoft fanboy, but for me the Zune blows any Ipod out of the water. The navigation is much friendlier, the Zune doesn't give a crap about DRM, and the Zune software is really powerful and user friendly. Add in a competitive price tag and a sleeker design, and I really have no idea why anyone would buy an Ipod for any reason other than fanboyism. From what I've seen, Creative has a really solid lineup of mp3 players as well, but I don't have any first hand knowledge with them like I do with the Zune and the Ipod.

 

[terorizer]

I'm a no frills person and started off several years ago with a 20g Creative Zen. I loved the Zen, because I had loaded the majority of my several hundred cds on the pc in .wma format. With Creative, it didn't matter whether it was .wma, .wav, .mp3, or whatever, it would just load it. Plus the creative music manager is great. (I still have it and prefer it over itunes or the newer creative apps) Of course, I dropped that thing, which was somewhat of a tank, but I REALLY hurt it and the touch screen stopped working (even though it still plays). On top of it that battery lasted for 24+hrs.

So I went out and bought the 30g Zen Vision. Hated it. Everything I liked about the original, they changed. Returned it. I was iffy on the Zune so I got the 30g ipod video. I really don't like itunes and the battery life is less than 12hrs, but when I'm in the car it's on the charger anyway. Plus because of the popularity of microsoft products, it makes it so easy and inexpensive to buy aftermarket accessories.

All things considered, I wish I hadn't dropped my Zen. But the ipod does what I need it to do.

 

[lilnastydude]

I have/had a 60 gig ipod. I loved it until it went caput. It just locked one day and would not unlock. I took it in for repairs only to find out it would be cheaper to get a new one. Needless to say, I am a bit dissatisfied with ipods. I have never tried a zune and probably won't.

 

[luv2tikl]

iPod is like a good friend who is always there for you. You always know exactly what you are getting into when you hang around with him.

Zune is the kid that promises a lot but in the end let's you down. He tries to act like your good friend but in the end you realize he's just an imitation.

That being said I own a refurbished iPod and love it. I have the FM modulator and it's pretty good unless someone else near you uses the same frequency and cuts into my music.

iPod is more like the popular kid that eveyone knows and goes to for everything even though he doesn't really have as much to offer as others. He's popular and well heard of, and that's the primary reason he has followers. Zune is the new kid that no one WANTS to give a chance because they can't accept change, and maybe you're right... But how can you expect him to fulfill his promises if you don't give him a chance? He's improved a lot but no one cares because they ditched him while he was learning the ropes. Those with patience can tolerate him, but those who believe in instant gratification and rely on Apple to wipe their asses for them will never appreciate him.

And about the imitation thing, consider this: If it weren't for imitations, WE'D ALL BE DRIVING FORDS! Just because iPod was first, that doesn't make it the best by any means.

I own an 80 gb Zune and I love it. I am far from a Microsoft fanboy, but for me the Zune blows any Ipod out of the water. The navigation is much friendlier, the Zune doesn't give a crap about DRM, and the Zune software is really powerful and user friendly. Add in a competitive price tag and a sleeker design, and I really have no idea why anyone would buy an Ipod for any reason other than fanboyism. From what I've seen, Creative has a really solid lineup of mp3 players as well, but I don't have any first hand knowledge with them like I do with the Zune and the Ipod.

Neither am I a Microsoft fanboy. I simply realized one day that other players could give me a much better run for my money than the iPod could, and so I didn't see any sensible reason to buy an iPod. If the iPod offered me things that no other player offered at the same reasonable price as those other players, then I probably wouldn't have any problem buying one. iTouches are pretty cool and do offer a lot more, but the price is outrageous and not comparable to that of any other player.

I'm a no frills person and started off several years ago with a 20g Creative Zen. I loved the Zen, because I had loaded the majority of my several hundred cds on the pc in .wma format. With Creative, it didn't matter whether it was .wma, .wav, .mp3, or whatever, it would just load it. Plus the creative music manager is great. (I still have it and prefer it over itunes or the newer creative apps) Of course, I dropped that thing, which was somewhat of a tank, but I REALLY hurt it and the touch screen stopped working (even though it still plays). On top of it that battery lasted for 24+hrs.

So I went out and bought the 30g Zen Vision. Hated it. Everything I liked about the original, they changed. Returned it. I was iffy on the Zune so I got the 30g ipod video. I really don't like itunes and the battery life is less than 12hrs, but when I'm in the car it's on the charger anyway. Plus because of the popularity of microsoft products, it makes it so easy and inexpensive to buy aftermarket accessories.

All things considered, I wish I hadn't dropped my Zen. But the ipod does what I need it to do.

Never heard of the old Zen, but I don't much care for the new one. And I, too, owned a Zen Vison. For my first PMP, it wasn't bad but it wasn't great. I did enjoy the fact that it played anything and I loved the huge screen and the built in speaker and microphone. But it wouldn't play my movies, so I sold it and bought the Zune, which plays them seemlessly.