iPod vs Zune: First Impressions
Okay, I’ve decided to partake in some Cupertino Kool-Aid by buying an iPod touch (3rd Gen) for my wife. It arrived from Amazon on Monday, and she accidentally opened it on arrival thinking it was something she had ordered. There went my Christmas surprise for her!
Software
Anyway, my biggest anxiety about taking the iPod plunge was iTunes. I downloaded version 9.0.2, and it was just as I expected: Kinda crummy.
Installation was a bit naggy with some questions and presentation of 2 EULAs (end user license agreements). C’mon! Two?! Getting iTunes to see the music folders on another computer was far from straight-forward. I had to add the folder with a command in the File pull-down menu. During the lengthy scan-and-add process, I was puzzled by what I was seeing. Was it copying music to the local PC? No, I later found out. iTunes just churns new additions at its own snail’s pace. Zune scans and adds new media in a heartbeat.
Once the music collection was added to iTunes, it worked mostly as I expected. Still, the Zune software is much more elegant by a large degree.
iTunes’ photo management stumped me. I had to search the Web for a clue on this one. I was expecting iTunes to be able to view pictures like Zune software does. It doesn’t. It looks to one folder for pictures and syncs those files to the iPod without displaying the contents of that folder from within iTunes. I wasn’t expecting that paradigm. I was expecting to browse the images and selectively sync them to the iPod … like Zune does. If I can browse videos, why not photos?
Zune 4.0 software: A
iTunes: C-
Hardware
The Zune HD player is really nice for video, audio, and pictures. The iPod is different, but equally as elegant in these areas. Apps and Internet (via wi-fi) are nice in Zune but sorely lacking when compared to the iPod touch. The iPod performs excellently. I mean, really excellently. Even the on-screen keyboard’s responsiveness and performance is head-and-shoulders above the Zune’s. The browser is quick and renders nicely. The other Internet-connected apps are also beautiful in their operation.
Zune HD player: B
iPod touch: A+
Conslusion
I can see why people love their iPhones. Once you get beyond iTune’s shortcomings, the iPod touch device looks like a real winner.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.