Zune 80gb or ipod?

K

KSNIPPY

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 29, 2005
Messages
198
trying to decide between these two for an mp3 player. right now im really leaning towards the new zune, but i know the ipod has been in the market alot longer. ugh too hard
 
well....wait until the 80gb zune comes out and go use it in a store to see if you like the interface. I have a 30GB zune since the first month it came out and dont have any regrets. This morning I got a free firmware upgrade for my 30GB, the same firmware on the new 80. Very nice that I wasn't forced into buying a new zune just to get wireless sync, podcasts, and a new interface.

A few months in when I bought it with no new updates I was worried Microsoft was going to abandon the zune. After this update and the revamped software they are really trying to create something here. I give them credit for that. Now that I think about it I can't think of a popular hardware device Microsoft abandoned. Not too long ago Gates had some statements about how determined he is to be in the mp3 player market.

Also download the new zune software and give it a go, it's very different from the old version and takes some getting used to but to me anything is better then itunes.

Good luck with your choice, either way you'll have a great MP3 player.
 
I will be getting myself the 80GB model and my wife the 30GB model. Been looking at this for a long time and finally will make the plunge. For me, the Zune is better, for others maybe not.

I also use Vista MCE, 360, etc etc, so yah, I am an M$ whore at this point.
 
Another way to look at it is right now the Ipod rip’s the Zune a new one concerning the amount of ‘accessories’ available. Docks, add-ons, car stereo’s, etc. But the Zune has things built in that the Ipod would require you to buy. And from what I gather, more ‘accessories’ are on the way for the Zune now that 3rd party manufactures realize it isn’t going to fail.

I don’t own an Ipod so I cant really say how good or bad it is. But I own a Zune and it suits my needs just fine. The software can be a little buggy sometimes, but I haven’t updated it to the new yet, don’t want to either till I find out if I can switch out the jumbo text on the main menu.

Honestly, I would say stop by your local electronics store and get hands on with both.
 
i have gone to the local apple store and played with the ipod and to me it actually seems dated. it was pretty laggy imo and it not having a widescreen really dates it, even though im sure thats why it has a better battery life because of the smaller screen.

when i get off work today im gonna go play with a zune in person, but from what ive seen in videos it looks great, and seems like the ui is really good. if im satisfied with it, ill probably go ahead and pull the trigger on it.

those of you with experience with both itunes and the zune sync software which seems to be the best.
 
As was already mentioned the current gen ipods are a bit laggy in the interface. That would make me insane. I have an ipod from the previous generation and still prefer it to the Zune by a good measure.

But it comes down to how you use your device. As much as I like ipods I still think comparison shopping is always a good policy. Make sure to compare built in features and equipment and it might end up being an easy choice for you.
 
rbanzai said:
As was already mentioned the current gen ipods are a bit laggy in the interface. That would make me insane. I have an ipod from the previous generation and still prefer it to the Zune by a good measure.

But it comes down to how you use your device. As much as I like ipods I still think comparison shopping is always a good policy. Make sure to compare built in features and equipment and it might end up being an easy choice for you.
Click to expand...

what is it that you prefer about the ipod to the zune? if you dont mind me asking.

when it comes to built in features, i like the size of the zunes screen, and the radio tuner is a big plus for me. what i like about the ipod is the games, all of the accessories available, and physical size.

also i read this on cnet and was wondering if the zune has this capibility: "the iPod Classic allows for manually adding and deleting music and video files without the hassles of playlist syncing. The Classic can also double as a USB hard drive in a pinch."
 
KSNIPPY said:
i have gone to the local apple store and played with the ipod and to me it actually seems dated. it was pretty laggy imo and it not having a widescreen really dates it, even though im sure thats why it has a better battery life because of the smaller screen.

when i get off work today im gonna go play with a zune in person, but from what ive seen in videos it looks great, and seems like the ui is really good. if im satisfied with it, ill probably go ahead and pull the trigger on it.

those of you with experience with both itunes and the zune sync software which seems to be the best.
Click to expand...

I actually bought a new Ipod Classic 80gb 2 months or so ago. It was nice, took it back after a week. I really hated the laginess and interface did not feel that great. I had an Ipod30 prior to that, just wanted something new. My moms had Zune 30gb black and she did not like it much. Well, I traded her my ipod for Zune, loved it. I have not tried the new software yet, but will do soon. I was really looking forward to Zune 2, can't wait to see some reviews. Might buy it, Ipod is not something I like. I am a Msoft whore, and i am proud of it :)
 
Owner of both an Original Zune 30 and an Ipod Video 80. I prefer the Zune, and it isn't real close. Video playback on the Zune is much better than the ipod. The additional screen and widescreen aspect work well. Zune desktop software was better by a smidge than itunes prior, and now the Zune2 is excellent. The themes are a bit lame, but the interface is excellent. Wireless sync as a bonus (although I couldn't connect with a WEP network, WPA was fine)

Go Zune and be happy.
 
I am also a zune user. I just updated firmware/software today and it's a HUGE improvement...

Also, being able to send random songs to other zune users on the train has to be one of the most entertaining things i've ever done. They're like "huh?!... who? where..?!" hahah.
 
wow...just installed the new UI's....wow....feels like a new device, software is practically perfect, zune social adds what they advertise..."welcome to the social" and is like last.fm without the atuo reccomendations
cant say about the hardware yet..but if microsoft really threw its bulk against this..the ipod could have some serious competiton
at times if its not broken...you need a revolution
 
ok guys i went ahead and got the new 80gb zune today. all i gotta say is that its pretty bad ass. the ui is amazing, the touchpad works great, the screen looks awesome, and the software is pretty good also. my only complaint is that i really wish it had some kind of equalizer so i could customize the sound, my sony walkman cd player has a "fuller" sound. does ipod have any kind of equalizer or sound settings?
 
The iPod has absolutely no equalizer capabilities to my knowledge; the audio circuitry in the iPod sucks anyways, especially compared to the Zune. The Zune has presets, but that's it - there may be a full EQ added later on, but I don't have any information that says anything definite either way. (Based on the hardware used, it actually should be possible.)
Be careful, the new software is buggy. Microsoft's being amazingly responsive in the official Zune forums, and there's workarounds for some of the bugs already. They're also already working on fixing some of the stupid, so expect updates to be coming down the pipe in the not too distant future.
 
How quickly can you scroll through the currently playing song on the zune? I run with lots of 60-900 minute tracks (yes, you read that right)... And the iPod is a joy to scroll through them all.

Now, most MP3 players are lame in their scrolling capabilities... Enyone have any experience with the new zunes?

I'm in Canada, so I can't play with them.
 
Well I don't have the new Zune 80, but I have a Zune 30 with the new firmware, which is essentially the same firmware they have on the Zune 80. Scrolling is fairly easy. When you hold the forward button, it begins to scroll, and the scrolling accelerates as time goes on. I don't know if there is a capped speed on how fast it can scroll, but for my puny 4 minute songs, it works great.
 
Arcygenical said:
How quickly can you scroll through the currently playing song on the zune? I run with lots of 60-900 minute tracks (yes, you read that right)... And the iPod is a joy to scroll through them all.

Now, most MP3 players are lame in their scrolling capabilities... Enyone have any experience with the new zunes?

I'm in Canada, so I can't play with them.
Click to expand...

i tried it out on my new zune and i scrolled through an entire 4 minute song in about 4 seconds. i dunno if it would keep building up speed if you held it down longer though but it seemed really fast to me.
 
KSNIPPY said:
ok guys i went ahead and got the new 80gb zune today. all i gotta say is that its pretty bad ass. the ui is amazing, the touchpad works great, the screen looks awesome, and the software is pretty good also. my only complaint is that i really wish it had some kind of equalizer so i could customize the sound, my sony walkman cd player has a "fuller" sound. does ipod have any kind of equalizer or sound settings?
Click to expand...

There are claims that the Zune 80 has no equalizer, however, the Zune 30 with the latest firmware does... this boggles me too. Why would you remove the equalizer? Also another thing I have to say I liked was the "flag" feature, which seems to have also been taken out. Anyone out there with me on this?

digging on the electronic preset btw.
 
zunewifi.png


finally got my zune 30gb hooked up with wireless sync. w00t! :)
 
I wouldn't call the iPod's interface laggy, though it depends on the player and whether it's updated. A version 1.0 iPod classic with a hard drive? It'll take awhile to spool things up. An iPod nano with the latest firmware? I've never had an issue with it.

That said, the Zune 4GB/8GB are good players after some extensive testing. The interface is easy to use and the software, while still sparse, at least seems intuitive enough. But I'd actually say that some UI elements run slowly (you can see the frame rate drop) and that Apple's device is still better for video and podcast management. There's also a lot more selection in the iTunes Store, though sometimes you'll find songs in the Zune Marketplace that aren't in iTunes.

Wi-Fi sync to me seems a bit of an overplayed feature. In order for it to be useful, you need to have a charger or dock somewhere separate from the computer. If you regularly watch Zune videos on your TV (why?) or keep your Zune charged near the front door, sure. But I'd rather surf the web and buy songs from the iPod touch, thanks. :)
 
Aurelius said:
The interface is easy to use and the software, while still sparse, at least seems intuitive enough. But I'd actually say that some UI elements run slowly (you can see the frame rate drop) and that Apple's device is still better for video and podcast management. There's also a lot more selection in the iTunes Store, though sometimes you'll find songs in the Zune Marketplace
Click to expand...

mmm concidering that ive used both...neither really slow down when your browsing, the zune takes like one second of holding to start going by letters and numbers, while on the ipod you have to spin the thing like your trying to start up a wright brother airplane to start browsing by letters and numbers

video management is the same...both softwares only accept a number of encoding shells, and both can be organized in categories, etc.


and lastly the iTouch has 16 gigs of space @ 400$....thats enough to hold a fraction of my music library and none of my movies, ill admit that its UI and touch interface is slick but i wouldn't buy it at 400$
 
I HATE the Zune software and drivers.. getting it all set up pisses me off to no end.
 
I like my 30 GB Zune. Guy at work liked it so much when i showed him, he wanted to buy one. (Even more so once i told him about the deals on it, and he already had an IPod)
I may be in the minority, but i haven't had any problems with the drivers or software yet. It works for me, and i like it.
 
Here's a pretty good guide for using a free program called AutoMKV to convert most videos to Zune WMV format. I'm experimenting with using X264 options in the program to get the same quality at smaller file sizes than WMV as it's not covered in the guide. I'll let you guys know how X264 works out for me and what settings I used.

http://forum.videohelp.com/topic319372.html
 
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