Mulling over getting a Zune.

[The Question]

I'm thinking of getting a current-generation mp3 player. My previous one was a very reliable Dell Pocket DJ -- unfortunately, Dell is "on hiatus" from producing DAPs since last summer and won't bring out their iPod killer until sometime this coming summer.

That leaves either the iPod or the Zune. I've considered the pros and cons of both, and the Zune is leading the race by a neck.

Cons:
-The proprietary Zune DRM scheme.
-Zune's WiFi capabilities are seriously underfeatured at the moment.
-Zune Marketplace (its version of iTunes) doesn't yet offer video.
-Physically larger than iPod, not quite as sexy.

Mitigating factors on the cons:
-I don't already use a music subscription service, Zune Marketplace would be the first. Nothing to transfer from another service means IDGAF about DRM issues.
-I have no interest in what anyone else is listening to, even if it is on a Zune, so WiFi issues don't raise an eyebrow, either.
-Why would I buy video, anyway, when there are other ways to 'acquire' it?
-As long as it fits in my pocket, its size doesn't much bother me. Besides, in the case of Zune vs. iPod, bigger device = bigger display.

The Pros:

-FM Tuner supporting RDS (Radio Data Service.)
-Reportedly, better display + better video playback.
-Fully compatible with PCs. Having tried to simply move files from a PC to an iPod 3G this morning... and later this morning... and this afternoon... I can say that I'm skeptical of just how PC-friendly the little fucking music-toaster actually is.
-Firmware updates can further mitigate the weak feature set of the WiFi, and the Zune Marketplace has only been online 3 months. You'd better believe those features will continue to grow, and I'd bet a testicle that a 5G Zune would beat the snivelling shit out of its fruity competitor.

And the one thing you can say in favor of a Zune that you can't say in favor of an iPod: It ain't a fucking iPod.

 

[Ishcabittle]

I've got the 5G iPod, and it's cool. One thing I will say is that you never really bother with the video function - unless you're on a long trip where you're not driving, or on a train, plane, or long bus - you're really not going to whip out your pod to watch anything, you're going to be listening to music. Theoretically.

Re: DRM, does anyone actually pay for music downloads anymore? Meh, that's not a real factor either way. I don't buy from iTunes, I doubt anyone is buying from MS either.

As for compatability, yeah. That's an issue. I've got my library on the pc, just cause I like running vibestreamer for external access, so I know all about restarting iTunes due to an error. But it works perfectly fine the majority of the time, and that's all I can ask from any application. Plus when you format as windows, iPods can be read by either platform.

I do think the Zune is pretty hot, tho. There's definitely a different feel and look to it, and it doesn't look very "cute", it looks tough and/or cool. In the end, an mp3 player should be about ease of use, capacity, and quality of sound. And your impulse.

"Look in your heart..."

 

[The Question]

That was my feeling -- the Zune looks like something you would have seen on the Fonz, if today's technology had been there. The iPod you might see dangling from his groupie-of-the-week.

 

[Ishcabittle]

On thing you might consider is battery life, the iPod 5g is about 14 to 16 hours, 2 to 3 hours of video. The Zune is 8 hours, 1+1/2 video and around 3 hours with the Wifi.

 

[The Question]

Figures I've read for the Zune on CNet's review have it at 14 hours audio, 13 for audio + WiFi and 4 for video or photo slideshow.

 

[Grammour Boy]

WiFi on the Zune? Does it have a browser as well?

 

[The Question]

No, no browser. The WiFi is so far meant for Zune-to-Zune music sharing only, though it's rumored there will (soon? eventually?) be WiFi hotspots through which one can access the Zune Marketplace and download music from the store.

 

[Ishcabittle]

The wifi sharing bit is a three-time only thing - if I share a tune to you, you can play it three times before having to purchase it. It would be easier just to hand you a burned CD and you'd have it forever, but hey, they're trying to make it so you can't steal (odd, that).

 

[The Question]

Yep. Not only is there a three play limit, that's a three plays or three days (whichever comes first) limit, then you buy it or lose it. That part makes sense, I guess, given the pressure of the RIAA. I'm surprised they haven't yet gone to the extreme of letting you buy a CD that you only own while you're still in the store, then try to have you charged with shoplifting if you leave with the CD you just bought.

 

[The Question]

Meh, I'm done mulling.

 

[Ishcabittle]

What was the final decision?

 

[The Question]

Heh.

 

[Ishcabittle]

Cryptic. Let me guess, you got a SANDisk 128MB flash MP3 player, right?

 

[Eggs Mayonnaise]

He stole an iPod 60GB from the retarded kid next door!

 

[The Question]

Cryptic. Let me guess, you got a SANDisk 128MB flash MP3 player, right?

No, got the Zune, a black one. Blows any iPod out of the water, including the 5.5 iPod Video. Better interface, better pictures, better video, audio quality about equal. FM radio with RDS. WiFi feature, honestly, is just a gimmick at the present time, but with firmware updates offering the promise of more functionality from that, there's potential for it to be the breakout feature Microsoft wanted it to be. The only other gripe at the present time is that the Zune Marketplace doesn't yet have film or television offerings, but considering it's only just over 3 months old, that's probably (hopefully) going to be another area of potential.

 

[Ishcabittle]

Well I'm rootin' for ya. It must be hard to be the underdog in such a saturated market. I'm sure with time Microsoft will catch up to Apple, and as long as the product stays good, I'm sure it will happen.

 

[The Question]

In my estimation, the Zune will only continue to get better. Remember that what's on the market now is simply the first-generation device. Much like the first-generation iPod of yore, it's a springboard for future product line evolution.

 

[Ishcabittle]

That's true. The iPod has come a long way from the 5GB spin-wheel, and you're also right about the expandability of the Wifi component. As long as you're happy with your personal music player, that's what's important.

The thing I'm super excited about, speaking about built-in expandability, is the idea that the iPhone (name pending lol) runs OS X, so, techinically I could get to a command line and SSH to one of my mail servers and check load averages. From the park. Running a full blown OS on a portable device lends itself to software expansion up the asshole, something I hope will happen with the Zune, too.

 

[The Question]

Similarly, there are persistent rumors about a Zune smartphone, dubbed the "Zphone" on the rumor-mill; I pray to several gods I don't even believe in that they won't actually be so stupid as to brand it that way.

One of the more consistent claims regarding the Zune phone is that it will use the same (or a similar) interface to the current media player -- I actually wouldn't mind that one bit, as the Zune's brand of Portable Media Center 2 is exceedingly user-friendly, requiring very few refinements to make it, in my estimation, one of the finest UIs ever applied to a portable device of any kind.

Another thing I'm more than a little curious about is what form factor a Zune phone would take: Candybar? Slider? Full touch-screen? Almost certainly not a flip. I can't say I'd look forward to the gloating should it come out to be a touch-screen, but I'd sure as hell welcome the device itself.

 

[Ishcabittle]

I'd like to think that MS would go for the full touch screen - after looking at the iPhone, looking at my Treo 700p, looking back at the iPhone, looking back to the treo... I really don't like the clunky keypad anymore. It always has been a little stupid cramming a billion and four buttons on the thing - and in the end it gets in the way of the UI anyway.

The Zune is already more screen than anything else - hopefully they'll keep pushing in that direction. The "Zphone" has a good deal to compete with, there are already three or four widescreen-touchscreen phones in development. Let's hope everybody makes a cool device.