Comments on: New Nano vs. New Zune: Fight!

By: rob

rob — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:58:29 +0000

very much so…i see now that really, in the real world noone cares what player you use, its just what gets the job done. i use the zune cause i have most of my songs in WMA format and i have an xbox live account with MS points, so the zune was logical for that fact. however, if it wasnt for those reasons, or if i had a mac, i would get the ipod, because it would fit my situation better. so really, it comes down to what OS and format you use. heck, i like both equally, and wanted the ipod for a long time before i saw that the zune would be easier for me to sync up. so end this debate on that one fact, it all depends, they are user dependant, and noone should be arguing which is a better device. although it seems like the only reason why you guys are doing it is because you guys have microsoft or apple ego trips and want to convince each other whos best. its like a religion, you cant go around telling budhists that they are wrong cause your a christian. its not ethical.

By: dan

dan — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:28:43 +0000

you are so right.

By: Teh AntiFanboy

Teh AntiFanboy — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:20:13 +0000

All fanboys are ****ing retards and need to get a life.

By: Eddie.exe

Eddie.exe — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 04:28:28 +0000

Wow Phillip, you really don’t know what you’re talking about do you?

By: Evan

Evan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:35:46 +0000

The WiFi on the zune is actually really cool because you can search and listen to ANY song in the zune marketplace. It’s not just your own media library but the big mother lode library in the cloud.

By: erik prieto

erik prieto — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:24:22 +0000

there is video output
and at even greater resolution
on the zune

By: Link48010

Link48010 — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:22:32 +0000

It all depends on what function you want either device to serve. The Zune is a *FAR FAR FAR* superior music device. for one, it’s far less expensive per gigabyte compared to the Touch. Also the battery lasts several times longer with or without Wireless on the Zune turned on. So yes I am arguing that the Zune is better than the Touch but only, I repeat, BUT ONLY as a music player. Although if you’ve read the new features for the 3.0 firmware upgrade, you might even be more convinced to consider the Zune. Games are now supported. There is a screen lock code for a password, Buy from FM, on device marketplace. Oh and one last thing, you said that the touch has 4 radio apps, but sadly they are dependent on Wi-Fi hot spots, the Zune’s FM radio obviously is not. Finally, I see internet abilities, touch screen, and possibly other features to be added to the Zune in later models and firmware (oh and might I mention that even my older Zune 30 from 2006 gets all the firmware updates that the new ones get, lets see Apple start that).

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:00:30 +0000

Really? Are there really people on here seriously trying to argue that the Zune is even in the same ballpark as an iPod Touch? I get that you don’t like Apple, or Apple Fanboys, but seriously, that is just a ridiculous idea to try and push. The ipod touch is in a whole different league than any Zune. The application store alone is enough to blow that idea out of the water. And seriously, FM radio? My ipod touch has 4 radio applications. Pandora, LastFM, Stitch Radio, and AOL Radio (which plays radio stations all over the country via the internet). Let’s get a grip here folks, the Zune ain’t bad, but saying it beats the touch is just ‘ignant dawg’

By: Dmann

Dmann — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:03:29 +0000

FYI, Zune owns about 7% of the market share last time I checked.

Not true – NPD Data, July 2008:

Apple’s iPod: 73.4 %
Other: 15.4% (obscure name brands)
Sandisk 8.6%
Microsoft 2.6%

By: Marcmarc

Marcmarc — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:14:50 +0000

Hi, I have made a dynamic comparison table of the new zune and the new ipod nano. The comparison includes around 70 criterias. It’s one of the most complete comparison table available on the internet.
Here’s the link http://www.witeria.com/compare/9/

It should be embedded in this article!

By: Link48010

Link48010 — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:53:39 +0000

Agreed, Statistics don’t lie my friend. The Zune is the second best selling Portable Media Player on the planet. The device has gained an overwhelming wave of support since the second gen release. This is aside from the fact that the iPod has had no *real* competitors since it’s release up till the original Zune released in 2006. That’s over 5 years of market domination with an open market filled with other players that at the time lacked any decent amount of storage and many even lacked a screen and where basically cheap small versions of the Shuffle.

FYI, Zune owns about 7% of the market share last time I checked.

By: iProphet

iProphet — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:52:53 +0000

Statistics don’t lie my friends. Zune only has around 2% of the digital music device market share. Where as Apple is dominating at around 70&. The ipod has proven to be a much better liked product, and has much better customer care then Microsoft could dream of. iPod’s all the way

By: Link48010

Link48010 — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:48:36 +0000

Zunes have had video and image sharing since the version 1 Firmware. Although I do agree with the UI being far better than the iPod clickwheel, god forbid you drive a standard in a town while trying to select a song. I’ve heard the iPod click wheel be described as “thumb dislocating”.

By: Link48010

Link48010 — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:44:35 +0000

I expect Microsoft to develop the Zune’s wi-fi along to the degree of web browsing. I also eventually expect either touch screen, or some other improved UI to compete with the touch, currently the Zune is not made to compete with the Touch, it’s a completely different animal. The Zune hard drive models are supposed to compete with the iPod Video Classic and the Flash models compete with the nano’s.

By: ACE

ACE — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:04:32 +0000

Umm…Devin, your chart is a little skewed… Zune DOES have dynamic playlists, but not like the ‘Genius’ feature, but they have automatically updated playlists you can easily subscribe to (like the Billboards top 40, Ryan Seacrest’s top picks, TRL, yada yada yada…)

Yes, I’m a Zune fan and proud of it… XD

By: jeremy

jeremy — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:37:48 +0000

I do, thanks.

By: Dmann

Dmann — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:53:48 +0000

The iPod Touch does have FM radio. In fact, it has AM as well as stations around the globe.
Using any one of several third party apps, you receive unlimited radio streaming without reception and static problems. Zune will never have the ability to touch the functionality, style, and innovative features of the Touch. It can hardly compete with the Nano.

By: Devin Coldewey

Devin Coldewey — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:24:46 +0000

Believe me, I’m with you there. But the race is still on for a lot of the market share. If I had a little extra scrilla right now I’d spring for the Touch, but the Zune is a better option than the Nano, i believe, if that type of device is what you’re looking for. But yeah, I do believe that both companies are polishing the knobs on the titanic with these players.

By: Bobby

Bobby — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:23:14 +0000

I just wanted to clear up a few mistakes from the Apple fanboys above.

Zune does have video output.
Zune marketplace has MP3. iTunes doesn’t. Zune plays iTunes Plus tracks. Cross-platform support is not better on iPod. And both stores have DRM. It is up to the consumer to avoid buying music with DRM. Zune Marketplace gives away three songs every week (and some, if not all, are in unprotected MP3 format). Does iTunes do this?

The Zune social is quite active.

Saying the Zune pad doesn’t compare with the iPod wheel is simply stupid. They are different, and it comes down to preference. I prefer my 1st gen Zune button to the iPod click wheel, but that’s a preference only.

What does the article mean by dynamic playlists? Zune has auto playlists that generate a random playlist based on set criteria (e.g. specific artists or tracks, albums, etc.). Is this the same thing?

WiFi sync is not slow. It would be slow to fill up your Zune for the first time or making several gigabytes of changes, but that’s not what it is for. Wireless sync is great if you leave the Zune in your car and want to sync up new music or podcasts. It’s great for keeping the Zune up to date, but obviously limited if you want to put 80GB on your Zune in one go.

WiFi can also be used to send music to other Zune users. Great for sharing music. When the new update comes next week we will be able to send pictures and videos as well. Definitely a plus.

I don’t use the radio on my Zune, but Microsoft’s market research shows that many people like it (and people who see my Zune almost always are impressed by the FM radio).

The touch is not a competitor to Zune inmy opinion. The touch is not a device I would use to play music. It has no buttons. It doesn’t have enough capacity. It is too expensive. Comparing Zune to iPod Touch is silly. Compare Zune to iPod Classic and iPod Nano, which are similar.

I doubt it needs to be said, but Philip Day’s battery stats are complete lies, obviously.

Bottom line: neither device blows the other out of the water with superior awesomeness. They are close, and how the differences appeal to your needs and tastes should determine which is best for you.

By: JonV

JonV — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:24:53 +0000

Zune all the way. If this was switched around, Apple fanboys would be all over it. Be honest to yourself, the Zune obviously wins this battle. The features are crazy.