12-23-2008, 09:39 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,053
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Asher Hawkins Of Forbes Likes The Zune
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/12/19/ipodtouch-zune-smackdown-tech-personal-cz_ah_1219ipodzune.html' target='_blank'>http://www.forbes.com/technology/20...19ipodzune.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>“A 120 GB iPod Classic goes for $249, though its screen is roughly two-thirds the size of the Zune's. As far as music goes, when you're strolling through town listening to your tunes with your device in your pocket, will you really care which of the two you're using? The sad fact is, many would. The level of brand loyalty Apple enjoys today was prompted by increasingly aged innovations. As I see it, the main reason people turn their noses up at the Zune is that Microsoft is seen as uncool.”</em></p><p>If that isn’t the truth, I don’t know what is. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/12/19/ipodtouch-zune-smackdown-tech-personal-cz_ah_1219ipodzune.html" target="_blank">Asher Hawkins did a side by side comparison</a> of the Zune and iPod Touch. This is a comparison that at first glance seems a bit unfair given the very different nature of the two devices. When Asher admits to having been an Apple customer since age 5, then I didn’t exactly expect an unbiased look. I give Forbes credit for their professionalism though! Asher was very positive about the Zune in comparison to the iPod, even questioning why someone would choose a classic over the Zune 120.</p><p>Other than the fact that Asher was pretty positive on the whole thing, the most interesting comments came in regards to what you use day to day to listen to your music. And I agree completely. There is a difference of course between today’s MP3 players and yesterday’s CD player market. If you had a CD it would (usually) work in any player available.</p><p>Because of DRM and varying file formats, that’s of course not as easy anymore. I would guess, however, that most people who have their own music collections have them available in MP3 so that they can listen to them on any device they choose.</p>
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12-23-2008, 11:36 PM
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Editor Emeritus
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Posts: 15,171
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Perhaps Asher deserves a little credit for her(?) balance, but this is an absolutely terrible article. It omits both the Zune's and the iPod touch's biggest features: Zune Pass and the App Store, respectively. The former makes the Zune a terrific music-exploring device, while the latter makes the iPod touch a mobile computing platform to compete against Windows Mobile.
In fact, it may be the worst comparison article I've read on these products, period.
--janak
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12-24-2008, 12:08 AM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
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Well, given that both devices have been compared and reviewed extensively by everyone, I found Asher's thoughts in general more interesting than a feature comparison. We've had plenty of those.
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12-24-2008, 12:13 AM
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Editor Emeritus
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David Tucker
Well, given that both devices have been compared and reviewed extensively by everyone, I found Asher's thoughts in general more interesting than a feature comparison. We've had plenty of those.
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But, by discounting their key features, you're making an utterly worthless comparison. As many readers noted, a more apt comparison if music is your only use case is the iPod classic vs. the Zune. If she preferred the Zune as an MP3 player then, that's fine. But she considers the iPod touch expensive while discounting the features that make it a premium product.
--janak |
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12-24-2008, 04:02 AM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,053
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What are the key features of the Touch exactly?
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12-24-2008, 04:35 AM
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You're not seriously implying that 
Hybrid Mode
