Apple iPod vs Microsoft Zune
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http://live.pirillo.com/ – One of the debates in our live chat room every day is “Zune? or iPod?”. I happen to have both devices. Each of them has their share of positives and negatives. I think it boils down to whether or not you want a music subscription service.
The iPod from Apple is an excellent portable device. The only drawback I have with it is that you can’t use a music subscription service. You can view your podcasts, and listen to music, but you cannot download on demand. To me, that’s about the only thing Apple needs to do to raise that bar even higher than they previously had. If you don’t care about the subscription service, and are just looking for a great software and hardware experience, then the iPod is the route to go.
Microsoft Zune is much the same as an iPod, with a few differences. The Zune has a radio built in, whereas the iPod does not. Zune also has a bigger screen, and you can transfer files from one Zune to another. You can subscribe to the Zune Pass music subscription service for about $15.00 per month. Unfortunately, I already have a subscription to Urge. I am very happy with this service, and cannot use it with the Zune nor the iPod.
The iriver clix DOES use my Urge subscription, and has a radio. However, you can pretty much only play music on it. It doesn’t actually do anything else.
My money is on the iPhone, actually. I’ll admit it… had I known then what I know now… I’d have stood in line on Day 1 to buy an iPhone. Yes… you heard me correctly. My phone goes everywhere with me. I use it as a phone. I use the calendar feature. It has an iPod built into it! About the only thing my iPhone cannot do that I wish it would or could is to be able to subscribe to a music service. I want to have download on demand… right on my phone.
What music device do you use? Are you happy with it? What makes it so great? Leave me your feedback and comments, and let me know.
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8 Comments
Matthew Rutledge’s Blog Space
May 31st, 2008
at 6:41am
<a href=”http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow”>Add to iTunes</a> Battery Saving Tips for iPods and Zunes What Do You Want Your Media Player to Do? To Buy a Zune Podcasts Sound Better on the ZuneApple iPod vs Microsoft ZuneI’m Not Buying a Zune!!! Zune: Good and Bad Microsoft’s Zune Competes with Microsoft
Some Guy
September 3rd, 2007
at 10:57pm
Can we please quit hearing that stupid canard about how Apple needs a subscription service?
That business model had already been tried, and had already crashed and burned back when Apple was first evaluating the market for a portable music player. Look at the iTMS revenues, and look at any of the also-rans.
Case closed.
Some Guy
September 3rd, 2007
at 10:57pm
Can we please quit hearing that stupid canard about how Apple needs a subscription service?
That business model had already been tried, and had already crashed and burned back when Apple was first evaluating the market for a portable music player. Look at the iTMS revenues, and look at any of the also-rans.
Case closed.
Tom
September 3rd, 2007
at 11:31pm
I can’t stand the thought of subscription services, but then I’ve owned music for so long the thought of renting it is abohorent to me. Especially since the renters can (and will) change the rules whenever they feel like it. And of course if they go under, or you miss a payment, all your tunes are gone.
Finally, subscription services are the last great hope for the labels because they require DRM. But that’s another reason i’m against it. I want more labels to follow EMI’s lead in ditching DRM, not having them hang on for a few more years clinging to a model that so far simply hasn’t worked.
Tom
September 3rd, 2007
at 11:31pm
I can’t stand the thought of subscription services, but then I’ve owned music for so long the thought of renting it is abohorent to me. Especially since the renters can (and will) change the rules whenever they feel like it. And of course if they go under, or you miss a payment, all your tunes are gone.
Finally, subscription services are the last great hope for the labels because they require DRM. But that’s another reason i’m against it. I want more labels to follow EMI’s lead in ditching DRM, not having them hang on for a few more years clinging to a model that so far simply hasn’t worked.
AdamR
September 5th, 2007
at 10:13pm
@Tom
Whether you “buy” a CD or not, you’re not actually buying the song. Just like software, you’re licensing the song for your own use. Music subscription is the same concept, except your licensing it for a certain period of time (a month). The downside to this is, of course, once you stop paying, you don’t have the music anymore. The advantage to this, however, is you end of saving money in the long run if you’re a regular music listener.
I personally purchase around 5 CDs every single month. If I can listen to these albums, and any other albums in the future, anytime I want, anywhere I want, for the same price per month as a single CD, I’m sold on it. I’m now an URGE subscriber. I’ve only been an URGE subscriber for a few days, and I can already see a major benefit to it.
The casual music listener may not see any advantage to it. They might buy a CD once or twice A YEAR. If you’re a hard-core music listener, music subscriptions make sense in the long run.
- Adam
Julian Bond
September 5th, 2007
at 11:31pm
The maximum disk size of portables has been behind my music collection until today. The 160Gb iPod has finally crept ahead. So I’ve been looking for a player with a 2.5″ disk instead of the iPod’s 1.8″ and currently have an ageing Zen Xtra with an aftermarket 2.5″ disk hacked in.
I have to say I don’t much like the iPod user interface or sync mechanism. So right now my perfect player would be an iPod Classic 160 running Rockbox with plain old USB mass storage. Although sharepod.exe+winamp is almost an acceptable replacement for iTunes.
I have absolutely no interest in iTunes, iTMS, Urge, Rhapsody or any other DRM crippled service. All my collection is plain old MP3 with most of it ripped using LAME -presetstandard (192K VBR)
What puzzles me is why there’s no iPod Touch with a hard disk. $399 for 16Gb? Pah!
Shivanand
September 6th, 2007
at 1:31pm
how about this device?! http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/
It has the following
- same screen as iphone
- wifi
- buy music online using the device
- buy music from startbucks
- no phone
- no camera
and also a $100 less.