RealGM

I am cracking and am now in the market for an MP3 player.

which is better?

iPod Touch.

End of discussion.

Depends what you want to do with it, i.e how much music you want to store, how many movies you have etc. I'd go with one of those 160gb iPod classics or whatever they are called.

If your going for an 80 gig version... Zune all the way. The screen is larger and made of glass (which is a huge, gigantic upgrade over the iPod's plastic screen for movies and pictures), it has Wi-Fi so you can sync without ever hooking it up to a computer. It has the same storage capacity.

IMO if you are picking between the iPod Classic and Zune 80gig, I'd get the Zune evertime. The only iPod I woulc consider is the Touch as that has a lot of functinality... Unfortunatley it lacks space.

Another thing to think about it HD based vs. Flash based. Flash memory players should last forever (no spinning parts) whild HD players (the larger players) have hard drives which only have so much life span. For me flash doesn't work because I have a very large collection of music and need a lot of space. It's really hard to say for sure which one is better, but I think the Zune has some clear cut advantages to the iPod classic. On top of that you get high quality noise cancelling headphones with the 80gig Zune.

The iPod touch is great, EXCEPT it only has a max hd of 16gb, which for someone like me who has 50+gbs of music isn't a possibility. I am also thinking about going with a zune too. Recently my 60gb ipod photo died. All of the iPods i've owned other then my shuffle have seemed cheap in quality. I probably won't get an mp3 player till this summer but I'd also like to hear what some people have to say about the Zune.

I love my 2gb iPod nano and iTunes. It's all set up nicely the way I like it and it works great for me. But that's just me.

GreenBayBucks wrote:The iPod touch is great, EXCEPT it only has a max hd of 16gb, which for someone like me who has 50+gbs of music isn't a possibility. I am also thinking about going with a zune too. Recently my 60gb ipod photo died. All of the iPods i've owned other then my shuffle have seemed cheap in quality. I probably won't get an mp3 player till this summer but I'd also like to hear what some people have to say about the Zune.

Touch just got a 32gb version. Still too little, but it's getting close.

I agree with who ever said the touch is the best... But the problem for a lot of people is that it just doesn't have enough space. The other issue I have heard is that the audio quality is rather poor on the touch when compared to the Zune or Classic. Zune (in every review I have read) has excellent sound quality.

Also, Zune has an FM tuner. No iPods carry that feature.

FM radio sucks... that is why you need an iPod.

There isn't any significant sound quality difference between players - sound will depend on the quality of your MP3 encodings and your headphones. iPod stock headphones are OK, and generally get the job done. I never use headphones myself, I generally jack straight in to my car stereo (using Pioneer's awesome iPod cable).

Other than storage, you can't compare an iPod touch/iPhone against a Zune. Zune is more similar to the Classic, which hasn't changed significantly in years. Touch is light years ahead of the Zune in functionality and interface, and will continue to grow to larger storage over time.

Not to mention all of the accessories available for the iPod family - car interfaces, speaker systems, remotes, voice recorders, FM radio tuners - you won't see an ecosystem like this for Zune for a long time, if ever.

And keep in mind Zune is made by Microsoft. Have you had the bad fortune to use Windows before? (shudder...)

I would just get the standard of either. Which has better sound quality?

quick branch off question:

does anyone have any expericne with a nano just as something to use while working out?

or

anyone found a really good armband for an ipod video?

DocGonzo wrote:There isn't any significant sound quality difference between players - sound will depend on the quality of your MP3 encodings and your headphones. iPod stock headphones are OK, and generally get the job done. I never use headphones myself, I generally jack straight in to my car stereo (using Pioneer's awesome iPod cable).

And keep in mind Zune is made by Microsoft. Have you had the bad fortune to use Windows before? (shudder...)

Your first point is absolutley false. There is sound quaility differences between players. This has been stated in sooooo many professional reviews I don't know where you came to this conclusion.

Second... I hate the Apple elite.... Different things work for different people. Apple for some, Windows for others.

I do agree about the accessories, however. The iPod family will always have the Zune beat in that department.

Matt Foley wrote:FM radio sucks... that is why you need an iPod.

Some featuers you think are useless are very useful to other people. I don't listen to FM radio, but for someone who does it could be very important that their player do that.

AgainstMe! wrote:I would just get the standard of either. Which has better sound quality?

I love Cnet for reviews. They stated Zune had the superior sound quality (even with the lack of customizable EQ). But the best thing to do is go to a store and listen for yourself.

i've heard iPods are terrible for scratching, i would assume zunes would be the same

AgainstMe! wrote:i've heard iPods are terrible for scratching, i would assume zunes would be the same

Not true. The Zune has a glass screen which is much more resistant to scratching. The iPod has a plastic screen which gets damaged super easily. If you get an iPod, get a case.

jerrod wrote:quick branch off question:

does anyone have any expericne with a nano just as something to use while working out?

or

anyone found a really good armband for an ipod video?

I have a case for my iPod Nano that has a flip cover and a belt clip. It works great and it would work great while working out since it clips onto your belt.

my freakin ipod froze this morning, and it won't let me reset it! I guess i'll just have to wait and see what happends after the battery goes. Anyways, a friend of mine, just got the zune and loves it. Seems super easy to use, software is nice, and I love the way that it is protected much more than the ipod. Personally, I would go with the zune.

2ss2ls wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



Some featuers you think are useless are very useful to other people. I don't listen to FM radio, but for someone who does it could be very important that their player do that.

Yeah I see your point.. I think AM would be alot better for us sports talk junkies. anyone else would laugh at that idea..