Microsoft's Zune Versus Apple's IPod

Microsoft's new Zune or Apple's iPod? This seems to be a question that plagues many when they consider buying an mp3 music device. Which is the better buy for your money? That depends on what you want from your device. Since both Microsoft's Zune and Apple's video iPod of the same capacity costs the same amount (both at $249) and both the Zune Marketplace and iTunes charge essentially the same price for songs (about 99 cents) the decision really comes down to what features are important to you.

If clarity or easy of use is an issue for you it is a close call. Having used both players it I find that the clarity on both is about the same, and in fact although Zune's screen is bigger both the Zune and iPod have the same resolution (320 by 240 dots). As for usability in my opinion they are both easy to operate neither one being clearly superior at least in question of the device itself. However, iTunes the music download store associated with iPod is easier to use and runs smoother than the Zune Marketplace the iTunes equivalent for the Zune. I found the Zune Marketplace to freeze up frequently and occasionally have problems interfacing with my PC. While on iTunes I never experienced such problems.

If size or capacity is important to you then Apple's iPod might be the way to go. iPod's come in various sizes and capacities (the shuffle, nano, and 80GB version) and the smaller versions cost notably less than Microsoft's Zune so if size or capacity are your biggest concerns iPod will win your decision hands down with more options. Unless your interest in size is in relation to the screen size in that case you might be interested in the Zune's three-inch LCD display, which is a full half-inch larger than iPod's and automatically shifts to a wide, horizontal view for videos and pictures.