Zune AReviews

IPod 80GB vs Zune 80GB

 

In 2006, I recall Microsoft entering the mobile MP3 market with the announcement of the Zune. The very first Zune model came out with a 30 GB capacity and it had this dark chocolate body color that wasn't exactly to my liking.  (I read there were other colors. But didn't bother.)   The Zune arrived at a time when the MP3 market was quite mature with Apple Ipod enjoying a comfortable leadership position over so many other mobile gadgets from Samsung, Creative, Sony and nameless China-made players in the market.  Microsoft was indeed looking at an uphill battle not only to compete with the immensely successfully iPod but to carve a place in the mobile MP3 market.  And the Zune wasn't exactly a hit when it came out. At least not for me.

Plagued with teething problems, the Zune faced criticisms from seasoned mobile player aficionados and online hardware reviewers. I certainly was a bit disappointed.  The first players had operating platforms strictly confined to Windows, unlike my iPod that can work on both Macs and PCs.  They were plagued with buggy installation and hardware detection issues that basically made their market acceptance spotty, to say the least.  Video support was likewise limited.  In short, the first Zune just didn't stand up as a threat to Apple's iPod offering, nor was it likely to take in a market share worth noting.

But all that has changed.  Zune is now a formidable MP3 player brand that is making its mark in the mobile entertainment market.  Redmond's Zune has emerged to become a formidable foe to Cupertino's Ipod.

The Zune's 80 GB model I recently bought is a straight match to my iPod 80 GB model, giving the market leader Apple a real run for the money.  They both hit the market at the same published price, though I got mine slightly lower than the Ipod 80 GB bought earlier. They have about the same size and weight (the Zune slightly lighter), same LCD display type and resolution.  Zune still doesn't support MAC interface.  But that's really not a problem if you are a Windows users like I am. 

Zune does support WMV files that iPods don't.  But that's a rather dubious advantage when most mobile geeks like me who watch videos on their gadgets already have tons of MPEG4 files on the PC.

There's a marked difference in how the user navigates through his files using these players.  IPod's success has been attributed to its click wheel control that was quite innovative when first introduced and has been its patented trait winning my nod and other customers everywhere.  But the Zune pad is not exactly a laggard and is just as neat.  Display-wise, the Zune's larger 3.2" LCD display edges out the Ipod's 2.5" display though their 320 x 240 resolution gives the Ipod a slight advantage in color intensity and brightness.  With my cellphones, I've always noticed that for the same resolution, a smaller screen wins out in this department, but admittedly, a larger display is a lot easier on the eyes especially with video playback. I really find it more pleasurable watching videos on the Zune than on my iPod.  In fact, after the Zune, I am no longer interested watching any video on my iPod. 

In the area of audio format support, Zune supports compressed and lossless WMA files native to Windows.  But it doesn't support the more universal uncompressed WAV files that iPods do.  With 80Gb storage, there are many mobile MP3 users starting to upload larger WAV files. I've tried that as well and while their benefits may be questionable under noisy listening surroundings as well as from stock earphones that come with these devices, the increasing popularity of hi-fi high quality in-canal earphones from Bose and Shure, among others, have prompted some audiophile mobile geeks to recognize the advantage of using uncompressed files on mobile gears.

But the Zune comes with WiFi Support.  The feature does allow you to download music and video files wirelessly from internet hotspots in the malls and elsewhere. I personally haven't tried this out yet.  And whether most mobile MP3 addicts have any need for WiFi can be left to moot argument.  Wireless synchronization with the PC is also there and I should be doing that in no time - something I can't do with the iPod.

The Zune 80 GB almost halves the battery charging time that the iPod 80 GB has, though the latter do last a little longer under straight music playback. Perhaps the best advantage Zune has over the iPod is that the former does come with an FM tuner as standard feature - something a user would have to buy extra as an accessory. I almost did that but it made my iPod clumsier to use with an attachment at its bottom port. 

Mobile geeks looking for the latest MP3 devices between the two computer giants from Cupertino and Redmond may have a hard time choosing between the two 80 GB models.  They each have their features and while the Zune does have features the iPod doesn't, it may still be a toss-up especially if you don't see much use for these features. Luckily, I am blessed to have both.  It may all boil down to music playback quality.  And the Zune does offer premium earphones I find better sounding than the stock iPod earphones. Now that can be subjective.  So better test out their musical playback qualities.  At the end of the day, it's still your ears that determine your choice.