Shocker: iPod Wins CNET Prizefight

[David Tucker]

<p>This is a little after the fact since this has been sitting in my queue for a while, but here we go anyway! &nbsp;This is why I hate that people think the Zune needs applications to compete in the market. <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/2722-6490_7-285.html?tag=mncol;txt" target="_blank">CNET&rsquo;s prize fight</a> is a little absurd because we have two devices that in reality can provide the same service but really don&rsquo;t do the same thing. I&rsquo;ll save you the time&hellip;the iPod Touch blows away the Zune HD 4.5 to 4.0 in the 5 round fight. But they&rsquo;re comparing two different things throughout the fight. I feel like they may as well compare a Zune and a Corvette and dock the Zune points for not putting out 400HP. Yeah sure, they both play music!</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/zt/auto/1254498223.usr307.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>If you want a device for a little music, applications, games&hellip;go get a Touch. If you want multimedia device that&rsquo;s dedicated to music and video, go get a Zune. They&rsquo;re just not comparable and not because one is better than the other. If you take away application store out from the Zune equation, and there&nbsp;isn't&nbsp;much you're losing out on, then the Zune is not competing with a Touch at all. But because it has one it does compete. Poorly.</p><p>In most reviews I&rsquo;ve seen, including CNET, the Zune wins on sound and screen quality. The navigation is considered on par with the iPod. &nbsp;Some like the Zune better while others like the iPod better but I think everyone can agree both devices are very good on that front and then it&rsquo;s just personal preference. &nbsp;Both devices are well liked for the physical design. If I&rsquo;m looking for a portable media player, the Zune just won on sound and picture. If I&rsquo;m looking for a PDA, I&rsquo;m getting an iPod.</p>

[Phillip Dyson]

I suppose I would agree if MS hadn't introduced applications to the Zune platform to begin with. To me it seems like they were asking for it.

If they weren't ready to compete or make a decent showing with Apps then they shouldn't have bothered. Or waited for when they were ready.

As for now, it has an app store and its woefully lacking compared to the iPod Touch.

[Gen1Zoonie]

More like an absolute joke. Microsoft are masters when it comes to focus testing and getting getter with each release

See

Gen 1 Zune to Gen 2 Zune to Zune HD

See XP to Vista to Windows 7

The Zune HD is everything I want in a PMP but they came sooooo WEAK with the launch apps that I feel no pity for them getting ragged. I want apps dangit. I want to be able to play a game while listening to my music or to find some good places to eat when I'm in an unfamiliar part of town. They have hobbled and otherwise uber capable device with a half hearted cringe worthy farce of an app sote. The HD should have launched with at least 30 or so apps. This just seems like a cruel joke.

I will be holding off on my HD purchase until MS gets serious about apps. If the Zune team is too small to handle it, let them open the floodgates and let the public populate the zune app store!

[korneel]

It's obvious that the Zune HD was made to compete with the Apple iPod touch. There's no denial, it's a fact. While the Zune 120 was made to compete with the iPod classic, the Zune HD was meant to compete with the touch. The App Store on the iPod Touch was something that has been added with the iPhone OS 2.0. It is an advantage it has compared to the Zune HD. You'll have to admit that... It is an extra feature, like HD radio is a feature on the Zune HD. The Zune will stay a niche market compared to the iPod Touch unless Microsoft brings an open Marketplace to the ZHD were 3rd party developers can sell apps.

I say this as a Zune-fan from Europe who's currently using a Zune HD as his default PMP after having used both a Zune 30 and a 120.

[neoxphuse]

I don't know why people complain. If you want apps, go get a touch. I, on the other hand, don't need apps. I just need a browser with wifi, and it's a primarily music device for me. And it's a damn fabulous one I might add. The UI and the screen quality beats the touch hands down. Played with the touch, boring. Same old crap from Apple.

I'm glad we have the apps we do, like AudioSurf and PGR because those have been time killers. Would love a Youtube App, that's about it. Other than that, it's pretty damn good. Apple has apps, but you can do what you want on the internet on your browser anyways. If you need access to the internet all the time, you should be getting a phone.

[Phillip Dyson]

I don't know why people complain. If you want apps, go get a touch. I, on the other hand, don't need apps. I just need a browser with wifi, and it's a primarily music device for me. And it's a damn fabulous one I might add.

I agree. That's why I ended up with the HD. I would love a better Audiobook app and an eBook reader, but at the end of the day its replacing my Zune 80 and Im pleased with it.

[gabe.arocha]

This is a little after the fact since this has been sitting in my queue for a while, but here we go anyway! This is why I hate that people think the Zune needs applications to compete in the market. CNET’s prize fight (http://reviews.cnet.com/2722-6490_7-285.html?tag=mncol;txt) is a little absurd because we have two devices that in reality can provide the same service but really don’t do the same thing. I’ll save you the time…the iPod Touch blows away the Zune HD 4.5 to 4.0 in the 5 round fight. But they’re comparing two different things throughout the fight. I feel like they may as well compare a Zune and a Corvette and dock the Zune points for not putting out 400HP. Yeah sure, they both play music!
http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/zt/auto/1254498223.usr307.jpg
If you want a device for a little music, applications, games…go get a Touch. If you want multimedia device that’s dedicated to music and video, go get a Zune. They’re just not comparable and not because one is better than the other.
If you take away application store out from the Zune equation, and there isn't much you're losing out on, then the Zune is not competing with a Touch at all. But because it has one it does compete. Poorly.
In most reviews I’ve seen, including CNET, the Zune wins on sound and screen quality. The navigation is considered on par with the iPod. Some like the Zune better while others like the iPod better but I think everyone can agree both devices are very good on that front and then it’s just personal preference. Both devices are well liked for the physical design. If I’m looking for a portable media player, the Zune just won on sound and picture. If I’m looking for a PDA, I’m getting an iPod.




...are you kidding me? by omitting the 720p output and KILLER interface you proved to be another mac fanboy. didnt mention the HD radio either... or the OLED screen. the interface allows little things like being able to delete songs and videos directly off the device itself or adding your own picture for the screen-lock curtain, or even just looking at the amount of album artwork that you the Zune program finds for you automatically when music goes into Zune. the program itself really blows iTunes out of the water especially if you feel like getting the Zunepass 15$/mo unlimited music downloads. (only downside is it's for windows only, but just get parallels desktop 5 for mac and youre set) you didnt mention the actual product is made of lightweight metal that doesnt scratch, fits in your hand better, takes 3-5 seconds to clean with a good exhale and t-shirt... seriously ive had mine for 2 months it still looks brand new with no case, who can say that about their ipod?! i got grossed out looking at my own after 2 months of wear and tear even just to the lame jelly cases i had... i wonder what other people think about their scratched up iTouches. i like ipods but really i got twice the memory of the 8gb for 20 bucks more and i got this awesome zune. for a cheaper price compared to the larger 32 gig which i really dont want cause i'll store pointless music for years and id rather just keep cycling through 16 gigs, i was pleased with my zune HD. but knowing apple n00bs theyll keep bashing until we get silverlight and/or flash player plugin... a media player is a media player and i think apple is using it like a standard when its really a bonus that the player even comes with apps. with the apps and whatnot, id rather have less good ones than thousands of retarded ones.



i got the zune to replace my nano and im loving not supporting the apple company. anything macs can do windows can do better its just a fact :/



all i have to say to microsoft regarding the zune is where are my 5 main apps? e-book/pdf reader/writer, youtube, fb, twitter, and last.fm radio.