Ipod Or Zunes?

[Saiko Desu Yo]

Which is the better buy the Apple ipod or Microsoft Zune???

Zune:
Zune is the name of a brand of digital music products and services sold by Microsoft. It includes digital audio players, client software, and the Zune Marketplace online music store.
The devices come in three styles, all of which play music, pictures, and videos; display images; and receive FM radio. They can share files wirelessly with other Zunes and via USB with Xbox 360s, and can sync wirelessly with Windows PCs.
The Zune Software, which runs on Windows XP, Vista, and the Xbox 360, allows users to manage files on the player, rip audio CDs, and buy songs at the online store.



Models:
The Zune 30 was the first Zune music player, and has a 30GB hard drive for storage. The Zune 4 is a second generation Zune with 4GB of flash memory for storage and is smaller than the Zune 30. The second generation Zune has a Zune Pad instead of the simple directional pad included on the Zune 30. The Zune 8 is the same as the Zune 4, with the exception that it has 8GB of storage rather than 4GB. The Zune 80 is a replacement to the Zune 30, with a larger 80GB hard drive. It is thinner and lighter than the Zune 30 and also includes the Zune Pad.

Software:
Zune Software functions as management software for the device and library and as a client to the online music store. The old version was a modified version of Windows Media Player 11, and the latest version is built from the ground up, with additional DirectShow decoders for AAC, MPEG-4 and H.264, it supports the following formats — for audio: MP3(.mp3), AAC (Low complexity) (.aac, .mp4, .m4a, .m4b, .mov), WMA (.wma); for video: MPEG4 (in .mp4, .m4v and .mov containers), H.264 (in .mp4, .m4v and .mov containers), WMV (.wmv), ASF (.asf); and for still images: JPEG (.jpg). It synchronizes music, pictures, videos and podcasts to the device. It streams files to the Xbox 360. It organizes the media in its library and allows users to add to the library by ripping from CDs and to organize the metadata. It can automatically pull down album art and metadata tag data for some content in the library. There is also an inbox feature in the desktop client software as well on the device, which keeps track of flagged music (for later consideration) as well as songs swapped with other Zune users. Although the Zune software was originally a modified version of Windows Media Player, the Zune device was designed to only work with the Zune software. Zune software requires Windows XP or Vista but can run on other versions of Windows with minor modifications.

Unfortunately the Zune has only been released in the United States.

Ipod:
iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched on October 23, 2001. The line-up currently consists of the original style hard drive-based flagship iPod classic, the iPod touch, the mid-level video-capable iPod nano, and the low-end screenless iPod shuffle. Former products include the compact iPod mini (replaced by the iPod nano) and the high-end spin-off iPod photo (re-integrated into the main iPod classic line). iPod classic models store media on an internal hard drive, while all other models, aside from the Microdrive-based mini, use flash memory to enable their smaller size. As with many other digital music players, iPods can also serve as external data storage devices.
Apple's iTunes software is used to transfer music to the devices. As a jukebox application, iTunes stores a music library on the user's computer and can play, burn, and rip music from a CD. It also transfers photos, videos, games, and calendars to those iPod models that support them. Apple focused its development on the iPod's unique user interface and its ease of use, rather than on technical capability. As of October 2007, the iPod had sold over 119 million units worldwide (stated in "The Beat Goes On" conference) making it the best-selling digital audio player series in history.
Software:
iPod can play MP3, AAC/M4A, Protected AAC, AIFF, WAV, Audible audiobook, and Apple Lossless audio file formats. The iPod photo introduced the ability to display JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and PNG image file formats. Fifth and sixth generation iPod classics, as well as third generation iPod nanos, can additionally play MPEG-4 (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC) and QuickTime video formats, with restrictions on video dimensions, encoding techniques and data-rates.

iPods cannot play music files from competing music stores that use rival-DRM technologies like Microsoft's protected WMA or RealNetworks' Helix DRM. Example stores include Napster and MSN Music.

Reliability and durability:
iPods have been criticized for their short life-span, fragile hard drives, and planned obsolescence A 2005 survey conducted on the MacInTouch website found that the iPod had an average failure rate of 13.7%. It concluded that some models were more durable than others. In particular, failure rates for iPods employing hard drives was usually above 20% while those with flash memory had a failure rate below 10%, indicating poor hard drive durability. In late 2005, many users complained that the surface of the first generation iPod nano can become scratched easily, rendering the screen unusable. A class action lawsuit was also filed. Apple initially considered the issue a minor defect, but later began shipping these iPods with protective sleeves.


If you have anymore information to add, please feel free to add it, i was just wondering others intake on the Zune and the Ipod? which do you think is better and why?

[☼Pepe☼]

....

ZEN Vision:M - Best of CES 2006 award winning features in both 30GB and 60GB; up to 15,000 songs, 240 hours of video and ten of thousands of photos.




Creative fanboy
Right here
^_^d

[Tone...]

NONE chinease DAP"S are the best ex.meizu,teclast

[Saiko Desu Yo]

i said zune or ipod..no zen or DAPs...

>.>
<.<

did you two want me to add them to the list or something?

[Holden Caulfield]

iPod.

Zune's are kind of crappy and were a major failure. I like iPod, i've been using one for like, 4 years now and they're extremly convienent. Can't mess with sucsess, can you?

Oh, and I don't like Microsoft that much.

[☼Pepe☼]

Originally Posted by Mandi

i said zune or ipod..no zen or DAPs...

>.>
<.<

did you two want me to add them to the list or something?

Fine then...
I'd say Zune based on the shallow fact that it's cheaper...

Oh, and it can support WMA!


My heart still belongsa to Creative though...

[markcdev]

iPod

I have a 20Gb 3G, and a red 2G nano. Flawless, and they work perfectly!! I'm looking at a iPod touch, but if you can wait, January is MacWorld and new models or changes come out at that time. I'm hoping for a iPod touch with more memory, and more client apps, when they release the developer kit in January too.

I would love to see bluetooth headphones! No more cords!

[s0k0_kit4ru]

I've worked on the hardware of both. . the older Zunes and some of the newer ones now are having motherboard failures left and right due to poorly manufactured products.
The first edition Ipods had the same problem, but unlike the Zunes, fixed it before the next batch was out. I have had my Ipod for a little while now, and have yet to encounter a problem with it at all, so you know which I favor.
Also. . my favorite noteable, Zunes (made by Microsoft) were NOT windows compatible with their first batch. . I loved explaining that one to people.

Also, I noticed something wrong with that "professional opinion" you put up Mandi, Ipods can play music from napster. . most of the music on my Ipod is from there and Itunes and it works like a charm. .

On top of that, it's very obvious that the person was anti-Ipod with how much information was given about the Zune and how little actual factual information was given on the Ipod, where's the reliability for the Zune?

[Saiko Desu Yo]

well s0k0, that was all proffessional info. so yea...thats what it said. so i put it in.

[s0k0_kit4ru]

I know sweetie, I'm not questioning you, I'm stating that it was very biased, which isn't your fault at all *huggles*

[Saiko Desu Yo]

you butt you got on last night..lol... and i missed you.. but i know its not my fault and im not mad

[Puck]

IPOD SUCK!!
sorry ^_^
therefore Zune win by default.

[LadyCs]

I like my ipod much more. The only thing that aggravates me is i can't drag songs and send them to other people to hear.