Ipod or Zen Micro?

[jbachandouris]

I have been toying with the idea of a hard drive based playerfor some time now. I have a Min-disc player, but discs (plural) are not as convenient as a single drive. My music collection is not that large. I have a PC, laptop, and a Pocket PC w/256MB SD Card. I know the Zen can use the Napster subscription service, but I am NOT at all interested in a monthly bill. I am concerned at buying a non-Ipod since they seem to have such a large market share right now and I think it would take some time for them to lose that share if ever.

So Ipod or Zen (or another recommendation)?

[crstbo623]

Depends. If most of your music is currently in WMA format, and you have staunch objections to converting your music to MP3 then don't go with the iPod. Otherwise, if you have mostly MP3's, then get an iPod. iTunes is so easy to use, as is that iPod!

[jbachandouris]

My music is not currently on my hard drive at all at this point.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

I was with a friend the other day (he works in Creative) and tried out his Zen Micro. I can't get used to the damn touch strip; either it's too fast or I end up issuing a tap command instead of scroling. Drove me nuts!

[jbachandouris]

:( I have been checking out various user comments about the Zen and some of what I hear is disturbing. For one, I read (on Amazon user reviews), that the headphone jacks go defective way to quickly. I have also read that the Napster integration does not always work. Another comment read that the user's PC won't always recognize the Zen. The touchpad sensitivity was also an issue for some.


I wish more people on thisboard would respond and help me with my decision.

BTW the only issue Ipod's seem to have is that whole pay Apple $100 to replace your battery issue.

[Jason Dunn]

I have a Zen Micro and I like it a lot! I haven't had the problem with the headphone jack, but I don't use it on a daily basis like some people might. Did you see our interactive review?

http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=50816

I've never owned an iPod, but it's certainly a popular choice. Ultimately if you haven't really started ripping your CD collection, you should rip it in MP3 format and then have the freedom to chose whatever device you want. If you rip in MP3, use a nice, high bitrate: 192 kbps or so. That will give you some good quality - the file sizes are a bit larger now, but down the road the devices will have more storage and you won't have to re-rip to get better quality.

[jbachandouris]

yes, your review had peaked my interest, but the negative feedback on Amazon has me concerned. There are quite a few negative posts, more than any other I have seen at this point.

[Deemo]

I would also be interested in everyone feedback on this as well.
I am not considering the Ipod but rather the decision is between the Zen and the Iriver H10.
I love my Creative Muvo Micro and am very pleased with Creative's software. Apparently Iriver just uses WMP10.
Jason - have you guys reviewed the Iriver yet??

[ale_ers]

If you are interested in the subscription model for getting your media than go with the Zen. I have one with a Napster to go subscription and I love it.

However it is hard to argue with the popularity of the iPod. If you have tons of CDs and will probably continue to buy CDs (as opposed to the itunes store) the iPod is probably a great choice.