How the Microsoft Zune Scores Over The Apple iPod and Vice Versa
My last post saw strong opinionated comments from iPodders. You are welcome. However just to set the record straight, I would like to mention the ways in which the Zune is superior to the iPod and vice versa.
The iPod is not set up to support subscription music services. The Zune scores in this department. The iPod can only be used to play music that is bought or stolen. With the Zune on the other hand you have access to a huge music library with the Zune Pass. With the Zune Pass you can save hundreds of dollars on music.
The Apple iPod has its own advantages as well. With an iPod you can browse the web, buy music and watch videos on YouTube. All this is not possible on the Zune. That gives some fuel to Apple lovers and Microsoft bashers.
MS is trying to crush Apple in the same way the browser wars were fought and one. This time it appears to be facing tougher competition, though.
There are still some unanswered questions in my mind though. How reliable is the Zune Pass at handling subscription downloads? Is the Zune’s synching good and can it do so with more than one computer? How does one get MP3’s from the Zune marketplace if not by the Zune Pass? Will competing subscription music work with the Zune? Can the subscription music be loaded onto the Zune directly?
I leave you with this information and some questions that you might like to answer.
LP said,
“The iPod can only be used to play music that is bought or stolen.” What other kind of music is there? If on the other hand you mean one must buy their music from the Apple store you are mistaken. My complete CD library is in iTunes and thus my iPod. I can put ANY of my MP3s on my iPOD. I have over 20,000 songs on my new iPOD–none of which is stolen nor purchased from Apple.
It is my opinion that your comments are misleading at best and completely incorrect at worst.
Best Regards
LP
Peter said,
First off, the standard “music subscription” concerns apply. You can save money over the short term, but $14.99 per month adds up. Figure that you paid $179.88 for a year and got “access” to millions of songs, but you have to keep paying the $14.99 per month to listen to them. In the same vein, you could have bought 181 songs via iTunes and had them for all time.
Don’t get me wrong, though. The subscription model has a place. But to me, that place is competing with terrestrial and satellite radio–not with a music store. It’s like XM/Sirius saying their chief competitor is Tower Records.
Personally, I think I should be getting more for my $14.99 than “access.”
Honestly, the one place where Zune beats the iPod, hands down, is wireless syncing. I read a comment on a blog the other night that had the perfect quote, in regards to the iPhone, “C’mon Apple! The thing has THREE radios! Can’t you use one of them?!”
Faisal Ali said,
Although you probably did this on purpose, your statement that the iPod only plays music that is bought or stolen is completely ridiculous. The Zune plays stolen music just as well as the iPod.
Eytan said,
You wrote:
“The iPod is not set up to support subscription music services. The Zune scores in this department. The iPod can only be used to play music that is bought or stolen. With the Zune on the other hand you have access to a huge music library with the Zune Pass. With the Zune Pass you can save hundreds of dollars on music.”
I think you should have stopped after saying:
“The iPod is not set up to support subscription music services.”
That explains the situation just fine, and on its own is a valid argument if you like subscription services (which some people do, like the large center of this country that listens to top 40 and therefore their musical tastes and repertoire change with that tide).
Instead, you went on to equate iPod users with theft, and then extolled on the price saving of subscription music, where in reality, you end up paying more over time and if ever decide to cancel your subscription, or the Zune store goes under, you have NOTHING to show for it. Nothing. Zip. Zilch.
Sorry, but I have a library of thousands of CDs. Ripping many of them for my music library was free. I would have done that for the Zune just as well as I did it for my iPod. It was legal. I own it. I did not buy it from the iTunes store, AND I did not steal it. I also don’t have to pay someone $15 a month continue listening to it.
lrd said,
It’s pretty simple in my book:
iPOD users 120 million plus
Zune users less than 1 million if you count all the units returned and abandoned.
lrd said,
Oh, yeah. And I love that puke green color. I mean the new Zunes are in word: ugly. Who the hell design these things? A 1970s hippie on crack?
lrd said,
Any teenager, or for that matter adult, better get ready for the ultimate question that every Zune users is asked: why didn’t you buy an iPOD?
Jp said,
Seriously.. Just LOOK at a Zune. What an electronic turd. I’d be embarrassed to show someone that I purchased one.
paul said,
guess what i have a zune and the i Pod s### because it freezes all the ### #### time then u have to wait for the battery to die my zune does not do that. to me the I pod has to die it s### the i pod touch su##s too.my friend said its the worst he ever bought.
Jared said,
I love it how no one wants to say that the pmp that they bought is inferior to anything else. Zune buyers like the Zune, iPod buyers like the iPod. its that simple, the argument 120 million to less than 1 million is completely irrevelent, your comparing an established machine (ipod) with virtually a startup effort by MS. That would be like comparing walmart with to a brand new department store that just opened, sure walmart is huge, but the other store is just new, not any worse. Both of these machines are great doing what they are supposed to do, play music and video etc. I personally like the Zune better than the ipod, people may disagree, the thing is no one can be dogmatic about anything because this is infact a personal opinion…thats right zune fanboy, some people just might like ipods better, and thats right ipod fanboy, as much as you might hate something out there doing well and OH No! even drawing comarisons to your beloved ipod, some people just might like their zune better. Why all the hate. It doesnt make sense to me.
Michael said,
I really agree with the guy above me, Jared. Zune is brand new and for them to be doing as good as they are so soon is increadible to me. Yea, I will admit that that old 30gb zune was UGLY, but the new ones are SWEET!!! I have been doing non stop research for the past week and the zune is almost the only product out there that has only a few bad reports. And I am talking about large compacity mp3 players. From what I read the ipod has a lot of crashing problems and battery problems. I have been trying to figure out what mp3 player to get for a long time and paying $1 a song is what turned me away from the ipod. I mean think about it, someone up above said in a year you pay $179.88 for Millions songs, or you could have 180 songs on an 80gb ipod, what sounds better? Now the only thing is if the company goes under you have nothing to show for it yes, but whats the chance of MICROSOFT going under? come on, think about that.