Battle of the MP3 Players: iPod Versus Zune

On February 3^rd 2007, my twenty second birthdays, my brother purchased me a brand new Zune to replace my old ipod mini. I decided to do my research on each to see which device was better for what.

On October 23 2001, Apple Incorporated released a new portable mp3 player that will change the way people listen to music. Termed ipod, this mp3 player was able to put over 1000 high quality songs into a piece of highly sophisticated electronic machinery. The beauty of the ipod was its sleek and revolutionary new physique, which held the ability of being transported easily in any jean pocket. With over one hundred million ipod sales, some people wonder why even create a competing mp3 player.

Zune is new mp3 player that was created my Microsoft, with the help of Toshiba, and released into mainstream electronic stores on November 16, 2006. Microsoft knew that in order to compete with the very successful and popular ipod they had to make the Zune very special, something different from the ipod, and yet very much the same.

The first notable difference about the two mp3 players is the greeting the companies send to each owner of their product. On the back of every ipod a "Designed by Apple in California" message will be displayed, while the Zune's greeting says "Hello from Seattle".

Both the Zune and Ipod come in a standard 30gig hard drive which stores thousands upon thousands of songs, pictures, and/or movies. The only difference is that right now the Zune can only come in the 30gig form, whereas the Ipod has a 1gig ipod shuffle, a 2,4, or 8gig ipod nano, a standard 30gig ipod, and for the big spenders, the 80gig ipod. Only the 30gig and 80gig ipods can play movies or display pictures. In addition, the Ipod has a 2.5 inch screen vs. the Zunes 3 inch screen. The Ipod also utilizes a rotating wheel to scroll through songs, whereas the Zune uses a directional pad. Both the Ipod and Zune use lithium rechargeable batteries with a 14 hour lifespan.

The Zune also comes in a variety of different colors, including white, black, brown, and baby pink - whatever that is. The ipod on the other hand only comes in white or black. Personally I don't think the color truly matters unless you are Paris Hilton and you must have pink, in which case you will be obligated to get the Zune.

Each of the mp3 players has its specific pros and cons, but essentially their main purpose is to play music. As mentioned previously, consumers interested in the ipod have the option of spending less on a sleeker ipod, whereas consumers interested in the Zune are obligated to pay $249 for the 30gig Zune. The Zune is able to transfer music from other Zunes without contact. In close proximity to other Zunes or computers Zunes transfer music via Wi-Fi wireless sharing capabilities. The Zune is also able to transfer streaming music, videos, and/or pictures to and from the X-box via USB.

This sounds great, but there is a downside to the Zune's transfer abilities. Zune music that has been transferred from Zune to Zune expires after either three plays or three days, which ever comes first. The name of the song is stored on the Zune so the individual can purchase the song on Zune's Marketplace, the digital application utilized specifically for Zunes. In addition, most songs purchased on Zune's Marketplace cannot be transferred. This refers mainly to music because pictures files can be transferred without restriction.

On the other hand, the ipod utilizes itunes which uploads music to the ipod once connected by USB. It basically a smarter version Zune's marketplace, both have the same features of organizing music and purchasing movies, shows, audiobooks, and/or songs online.

Other pros of the Zune, is that its case is made of rubberized plastic which means that it is scratch resistant. The ipod's case is far from scratch resistant; my personal ipod has a scratch and dent for everyday of the week. In addition, the Zune is able to connect to FM-radio on North American, European, or Japanese radio tuning frequencies which have song information from the radio station displayed.

Overall, I know I talked about Zunes far more than I have about ipods. The reason for this is obvious, more people know about ipods because most everyone in the world either owns an ipod or knows someone who does. As far as Zunes go, I like their FM-radio option; it's a great start for mp3 player. Unfortunately, Microsoft's money-hungry executives who placed a restriction on transferable music have probably ruined Zunes chances of ever defeating the ipod in a competition. I am sure that once they fix this problem in a new version of Zune, people's heads will begin to turn toward the Zune and true competition will ignite.