Very nice list of reasons. I've given these all at one point or another to a friend, but I didn't realize how many good reasons there were until you compiled them together.

I got my wife an 8GB Zune for her birthday and, after setting it up, I'm really jealous. After all, I'm "stuck" with a brown 30GB. ;-) My wife wasn't sure about getting a Zune since her sister has an iPod, but after using it she really likes it.

She had already been using the Zune software as a media player since I had it installed, and the transition of moving music from there to her device was as easy as you can get. This was very important for me because if there's any problems with someone the first time she uses it, the deal is off. I'm very happy with my purchases.

What about OSX compatibility? Or AppleTV compatibility?

"Mac OSX with BootCamp (running either Windows Vista or Windows XP)." -Zune Website
That doesn't count....

Out of all those, there are only 2 I would consider advantages. The Zune Pass and maybe the FM Radio. All that other stuff I don't need or care about - and people (like my parents) don't need or care about all that either.

The iPod's overall experience is so good - it is hard to beat. Most of what you talk about here is not what I would use the device for 90% of the time.

Dave,

Are the Zune Pass and an FM radio not compelling enough to consider a Zune the next time you buy an MP3 player?

I'm truly writing this because I don't understand the undying allegiance some people have to Apple.

Heck, I WORK for Microsoft, and I would hardly say I have an allegiance to them. I buy and use plenty of competitive services and products, primarily because they're the best choice...not the one with the once-bitten apple on it.

What makes the iPod experience so good? What am I missing? I'd love to see a list of 10 reasons why iPod is better than Zune...

Nice list of reasons, Jeff! Thanks for writing this up!

Number 9 isn't much of an advantage. The 360 has excellent iPod support. The PS3 only supports the iPod and the support sucks.

#2 is why I bought a Zune 30 after I outgrew my 1st gen iPod Nano. I was pissed that the 2nd gen Nano could play videos but they didn't update my 1st gen. I knew my 1st gen could handle it - 3rd party firmware supported it.

#5 is one of those features that sounds cool but I doubt it is used much. Syncing using USB is a lot faster. If you are within range of your network it doesn't take much to then plug it into the computer.

Some of the features you listed the iPod Touch supports.

The features I miss from my Nano are the calendar, sleep timer, and alarm clock. Those were great when on trips.

Hey Kevin.

Just to play devils advocate. I prefer to sync my zune wirelessly since sometimes I just don't want the hassle of hooking the thing up to a valuable (valuable to me) USB port. But the big bneifit here is in the fact that you can play wirelessly. According to the XNA spec, you could easily have social games of folk 16 or more (i believe the bit limit can get you to like 50 some odd people). On top of that there is the ability to share via wireless tech.

So, it may not be the best solution every time you want to sync your zune, but it sure is really nice to have. Especially at McDonalds.

~Dave Redding

I've been watching the twitter debate that followed this and wanted to throw in my 2 cents.

I'd agree that the Zune has some really compelling features. And there are some that I can't believe that Apple hasn't opened up yet on the ipod/iphone. You can share itunes libraries on a lan, why not ipod libraries? Why not share itunes library to ipods on the same lan? Since MS has to be aggressive against the market leader, they've stacked the Zune with some good features.

That being said, the technically superior device rarely wins the battle. Look at the Nintendo DS market vs the PSP market. VHS beat out a technically superior Beta. PS2 vs GCN and Xbox1. Xbox 360 vs. PS3.

Market picks up momentum, and sometimes for the wrong reasons, but sometimes for the right. If I have a problem with my ipod and I wasn't a tech guy, I could ask anyone in my office what to do. I can by all kinds of attachments for car stereo, etc, because of market share.

Lastly, I've always been nervous about MS devices and platforms (especially that involve DRM) for one reason. If it doesn't win the market, they seem to abandon quickly. If my music is tied up in MS drm, what happens when they decide that the zune department is no longer worth it. After all, the XBox had one of the shortest console lives around (despite a heavy price tag). It's the same nervousness I would have had if I had jumped on J# and not C# when getting into .Net. (I add that last example because it doesn't have to have an official end-of-life to be irrelevant.)

Anyway, I own and love the 360. I program in .Net every day. I like MS and recommend some of their products. I'm just explaining why I think someone might pick an ipod/iphone even if they were aware of everything on that list.

The Zune Pass is the big advantage it has over iPod for getting new users, but the point you make about Apple's planned obsolescence of each iPod generation, plus their terrible after sales support and horrible warranty polices, is what I think will see Apple lose market dominance to something like the Zune eventually.

Come on man, don't fudge the numbers to make your point. Amazon has market prices for all of these devices:

8 GB nano = $135
8 GB zune = $135

16 GB nano = $185
16 GB zune = $175

120 GB iPod = $225
120 GB zune = $240

Price is a non issue as are a lot of your other points. I'll give you three off your list though: ZunePass, Wireless Sync, and FM Radio. Those are great examples of innovation in the market.

Todd,

I'm not fudging numbers. Those are the prices the manufacturers are selling the devices for. As I said in the post, each retailer is going to have their own sale prices. I thought that those prices, the MSRP, would be the most fair comparison. Not the random discounts that sites like Amazon and Best Buy are able to give.

Good post Jeff. I totally agree with you. I owned two Ipods in the past (30G and 1st Generation Nano). They both broke just after one year of use. I bought a brown 30 Gig Zune last year and have never been disappointed. To this day it has never locked up on me. How can you not go wrong with the radio? Think about it, you are on your way to work and get caught up with the morning show talk show radio. All you have to do is turn your Zune on and walk into work and listen while you work. Other pros that I totally love are the wireless synching and sharing, games, better and easier application that Itunes, the ability to create and develop games, Zune pass and the list goes on.

Honestly I was very unsure what I was getting into when I purchased my Zune but I am glad I made the right decision.

Seriously, would a Ipod enthusiast please come up with a list of ten items why an Ipod is better than a Zune.

Still waiting.....

I love the Social features too, that you can find out the songs your friends are listening to. This adds variety as well gives you something to talk about next time you see each other. The channel subscriptions are also great for variety, it automatically pulls down the top downloaded tracks based on genre, I've discovered some new favorites this way as well.

Very good points. Unforunately, Zune was not around when Apple IPod originally was. Lots of people have extensive protected AC3libraries that its just too much of a hassle to convert to Zune. Zune may be a technically superior product but it was not first to market. I am a pc user and .NET head so provide me with a cheap / easy migration path from IPod to Zune and I might consider one.

scott

I started with an iPod, and now I have a Zune, and honestly, I won't go back.

After hearing so many people talk about the Zune Pass, that was the main thing that got me to switch.

I did go with the customization at ZuneOriginals.net, mostly because customizing still appeals to me (as if my license plates don't give that away). From a female's perspective, they have a decent selection of girly designs too - which is nice for a change when it comes to electronics.

As for the FM Radio, I've actually found that quite useful. Nothing like sitting at work going "I should download that" and add it to my cart. As soon as I sync back at home, I can get the songs I've been meaning to get but just couldn't remember.

But those are what I personally like - the other points really didn't factor in as high when I originally weighed the two.

And I have to agree with Carey - I too like the Social aspect of the Zune and seeing what my friends are listening to. It's interesting to see what kind of music people listen to, and it definitely opens doors to interesting conversations.

Thanks for posting this!

I am a long time Zune user having purchased both 30Gb and 80Gb Zunes at their launch. I agree with almost all the points Jeff makes and would add that IMO the Zune software is head and shoulders above iTunes which I consider to be tantamount to Malware.

However there is one area where the iPod totally reigns supreme - 3rd party accessories. If there is one thing that Apple has done well, it is to line up a huge stable of 3rd party vendors who offer add-ons to the iPod.

Seriously, you pull prices from different websites and don't call that fudging the numbers? Amazon isn't running a sporadic sale on any of the items I listed. You'd have a stronger argument if you just listed 3 or 5 reasons that are valid and accurate. Weak pricing, the ability to "squirt", etc... are all just fluff.

To follow up on my earlier post, there was one thing that I did like about the Ipod Nano that I owned and it was the Nike + Ipod Sport Kit. I am a avid runner and was pretty amazed how it saved and uploaded all your time/runs to the Nike web site. But that even had some flaws.

/*
* TODO: Create similar application using XNA
*/

To everyone that needs 10 reasons why an ipod is better than a zune is missing the point. People want an mp3 player to listen to their music. I think the ipod is still the easiest way to do it. The UI for itunes and the ipods is hideously simple. Also, Tim makes a great point about market momentum. It's easy to get help with an ipod. Especially with apple stores around that can help people in person.

You don't need 10 reasons, you only need 1 or 2. For some people, I think the FM radio or the Zune pass are all they need to make them switch. Just not me - since I don't find a ton of value in either.

What about the iPod touch? It really beats any Zune hands down! or any other player in the market for that matter.

Frankly I find that many ipod users (especially teens of which I'm exposed to many) are entrawled with the "I'm cool" peer pressure factor more so than the actual overall user experience.

I have had two ipods and two zunes, but quit using the ipods after the lastest round of zune software and hardware released.

The reason is because the bang for buck scale now predominately favors the zune. I shun peer pressure and beat to my own drum which I'm very proud of.

An ipod is still a good value, it's just not the best any more in my opinion.

Jeff, I'm glad you included 11 reasons, because wireless sync is the biggest piece of crap ever created (aside from white-out). It's slow, it drains my battery, it's an attempt at a recipe for laziness.
The Zune Pass owns, though.

Hey I got your 10 reasons an iPod is better than a Zune right here. I got them from my girlfriend who has an iPod and thinks its better than my Zune.
1.Pretty colors (Just like the rainbow)
2.All your girlfriends have one!
3.What if computers scare you? iPod's are idiot friendly
4.Lots of products that say iPod (despite the fact most 3rd party products work with any device that has an 1/8 line output, even most iPod products have a line in jack)
5.In no time your iPod is vintage (you wouldn't upgrade your '65 vett, would you?)
6.Bill Gates has enough money
7.Cool accessories, like a nifty Hello Kitty case yea!
8.Games made by other people, this is a combination of lazy and lack of creativity.
9.The Mac store, a whole store devoted to products I could get anywhere, how dose this not make sense?
10.Product comparing is boring, if everyone says its cool especially mtv; I have to have it.
Now iPoders don't get pissy, I may not love all of you but I love my girl!

"Reverse Sync" is another nice feature of the zunes. You can copy your songs from the zune to a friend's pc without any problems and the Zune Software really makes it easy for you.
And I prefer the touchpad. I think that it's much more intuitive than the click-wheel.

To anyone that says "what about the iPod touch?" The Zune was never meant to be a competitor to the Touch hence the lack of touch screen and incredibly large price tag. And no, I personally don't believe the iPod Touch is better than any player on the market, seeing as how Archos has had players with far more capability and a considerably lower price than the Touch for years, yet, as Tim said, the market does not always favor the best product, which is why you have a nation flooded with mediocre merchandise (whoo alliteration).

I have a 30 GB Black 1st Gen Zune but like you said it is no longer 1st Gen. With the latest firmware my oldie is as good as a new zune.

One feature that I love about Zune is its connect as a guest feature (This feature could easily sneak into your top 10). I can sync songs from any damn PC I want. All I'll need is the Zune software which can be downloaded from its site in 5 to 10 mins max :)

The 3-day restriction on shared songs has been dropped, for your information. Now you can play a shared song 3 times and take as long time as you need to do it.

When you send a song to someone, they can listen to it 3 times over any number of days. The 3 day rule was taken out in v.2.0

I'm on my 2nd zune and I couldn't be any happier with them.

only reason why people love the ipod is because they are to far in with itunes and its DRM. People don't want to have to buy their music over again. I almost didn't buy a zune because of that. But I did, a zune 80, and it is so much better than my brother's 60gb Ipod. (My other choice for an mp3 player)(I don't like the touch because it doesn't have enough memory for its price. I think its about $200 for a 16gb. That is a lot of money for something that will be out of memory within the year)

so true man.. and for that guy that said "I'd love to see a list of 10 reasons why iPod is better than Zune..." the only reason is every one has one, imagine if everyone had a zune damn... peace on earth for sure!

I own a Zune and am very pleased with how it works. I originally got it for the wireless syncing capabilities and the Zune-to-Zune music sharing, but it drains your battery life so quickly it is almost not worth it. The zune pass is a good deal because you can have unlimited access to the music in the Zune Marketplace, but the apple store has almost 1 million more songs. In the end most of the features between both the Ipod and Zune cancel each other out, so really the only thing the zune has better than the Ipod is the wireless and the FM radio.

pingback

http://www.zuneboards.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=575&Itemid=1

THANK YOU FOR THIS POST! There should be more posts like this in the blogging world! i hate ipods :P

The thing i like most of the Zune is the
wirless sync. Because on the days i cant find my usb cable i dont have to go crazy looking everywhere for it.
I can still sync it.

How can you record TV shows on your vista?
I had no idea I could do that...

Nice list of reasons but you forgot one. The Zune Marketplace will be 99% drm free in a month according to the Zune team.

Basically the list is a comparison of Zune to iPod features. But can you reverse and compare the iPod to Zune and make a case? That's the struggle iPod users have when defending their product to me. I never had an iPod, my daughter has one and I tell you it seems to perform just fine for her. She does not buy her music off iTunes, she rips off purchased CD's...again works fine. I don't like the iTunes store. I think it is cluttered, too busy, really does not direct you anywhere...kinda stab in the dark.
I bought my Black 30GB on Black Friday 2006, after researching the Zune in October 2006. What sold me was the Zune Pass and wireless feature....and everything else has since confirmed that I picked the right mp3 player, music store and the shear pleasure of listening and exploring new and old music thru the Marketplace. All the other stuff is a bonus..at the end of the day the main reason Zune is better than iPod is the Marketplace software, store and the Zune Pass...oh and now I get 10free songs every month. And the Social is a very cool place to discover new music..whether old or new artists... Led Zeppelin is only available for purchase on ZMP and iTunes..but now with the 10 freebies...I can get Zeppelin at "no charge".
I have been a music listener for 30+ years...sure I have more than enough vinyl and CD's to last a lifetime....but listening to them thru the Zune experience just makes it pretty cool.

Being a fairly unbiased person, I can give you a few fairly good reasons to consider an IPod Classic over a Zune. IPods can be hacked. Just that simple idea allows for a multitude of cool things to be added to your IPods. And even though the screens are smaller, they also look crisper and brighter in comparison. And due to the fact that it's been out for a while, the games and apps on the IPod look multitudes nicer than that of the Zune's. Since Apple takes up most of the market share, it's much less likely that Zunes will get as fair of a share of quality games coming to it from XNA developers. People can make games for the Zune, but it will take some time before individuals will be able to make anything that rivals that found in current IPods.

I have a Zune myself, and I consider it to be an ok product. I love the large screen and the UI. Probably the two biggest things about the Zune that I appreciate most. I keep my Zune on my belt, and it's easy to change the volume and switch songs without having to look down and fiddle with it. I also watch alot of shows and movies on it, and the screen is perfect for just such. But I'm not completely satisfied with the software. It's a slow beast, and having to convert videos is no fun at all. Just allow multiple formats already, christ. All of my music which I had organized methodically with ID tags went into complete disarray when I tried to organize them in the Zune software. There's many mislabelled things I cannot get to label properly, and I probably spent two days fixing my library when I had to change the drive letter on my external HD. I figured simply changing the location settings would have worked, but instead it turned my podcasts and videos into finely ground hamburger. As far as the hardware is concerned, I had to take three trips to Best Buy get a Zune 80 that didn't have a crippling problem, only to have to send that one in for a warranty 3 months later after it had broken. My latest one has had no problems at all, so it may have been a spread of extremely bad luck on my part.

All that being said, I still like Zunes better. The IPod's screen size and craptacular-to-navigate UI are terrifying. Makes me feel like I'm using a miniaturized version os a Macintoch Classic. They also look as funky as most Apple products do. I don't like my technology to look rounded, flowery, or fruity :|. I just wish Microsoft wasn't so adamant about locking down the Zune.

I agree completely that the zune beats ALMOST all ipods. in my opinion the zune 80 beats every ipod except the touch. the itouch is just on a different level than all the other mp3 players out there. however i think a zune touch or zune phone could easily match, if not excell the itouch and iphone. but we'll just have to see....

I upgraded from a gen2 20GB Ipod (was about $900 back then btw) to a 8GB Zune in April.
The feature you're missing is the "go to artist" option on the Zune - it Rocks!
I put my player on Random, but then I hit a song from an Artist and think, hey I want to hear their other song. This on the Ipod was painful, you have to go back and find it all manually. The Zune takes you to that artist and you can change to play their songs or add a song to your current playlist. Awesome.
The only thing missing is a CrossFade option between songs to remove silence, I loved this on PC based MP3 players 10 years ago - why don't the Zune or Ipod have this?

One thing you didn't say is that you can move music and things from your zune to your computer. You can't do that with an iPod.

The reason I bought my zune was to keep from being part of the fad of iPods. Now that I have one, I can easily confine my friends in to buying them, because they are amazing.

As for apple, I have an iPhone, which I wouldn't have if I had bought it myself instead of getting it as a gift. If you look at it, it has no songs on it, but that doesn't make it any less of a piece of junk. It crashes constantly, and just generally doesn't like me, which I hear is exactly the same with the touch. Apparently they all suck.

I've had a 80 GB Zune for about a year now. Here are some of my reasons why.

Big Screen (I have about 30 Movies on my Zune, and 4 seasons of
Television shows)

Touch pad (I prefer it over crApple's circle.

The games (MS has release 6 and there are some awesome applications and games made by fellow Zuners)

Screen Lock

I can choose any picture I want for my background.

Radio (I use it everyday while I do my school)

I can download music straight from a wifi hotspot.

Even though I don't have the newest Zune, I can still download the new firmware and have all the features of the 120GB Zune.

Zune pass (All the music I want for $15/month)

I know that the Zune is a WIP and that MS is working all the time on a new update for my Zune. (I'm hoping for a half-decent web browser for the 4.0 Firmware)

I can tag music that I like off the radio and add it to my shopping cart to be downloaded the next time i'm near wifi.

The Zune software is easy to use and works fine as an all-purpose media player.

I bought the Zune 30GB model when the Zunes first came onto the market. Back then the Zune didn't have a huge amount of stuff to offer over the Ipod but I bought it anyway only because Apple has brainwashed about 77% of the Mp3 player buyers out there. So I feel special and different. But if Zune did ever overcome the Ipod I probably wouldn't switch because of most of the new features of it. ESPECIALLY the free firmware updates.

Another point you could make is that the Zunes are built with MUCH more quality than the Ipods are.
-Zunes are built to be able to hold the newest firmware and graphics
-(Zunes are built to last) The 30GB model is like a BRICK, dropped multiple times onto pavement while riding bike, skateboard or getting out of the car. The 80GB not as much experience (because I care so much for it) but still no destruction after being dropped off my desk a few times.

Great post btw, keep it up

I really don't think there's anything I can say that hasn't already been said. The Zune is a fantastic player that has made one with my pocket for just over a year and a half now. I will not ever trade my 30GB in for an Ipod. Nope. Just won't happen.

I had a choice between and iPod and Zune. Dollar for dollar I chose the Zune and everytime I use it I am SOOOO glad I made that decision. Now THAT is nice Trivia that the ORIGINAL Zune get's updated with the same firmware as mine. There's a bonus to be had on eBay! Sweet!

Ok, some good points. Some bad points. Firstly, you won't find old Zunes that don't support the new features because the Zune has only been out for about a year. The ipod has been out for 7 years, and technology has changed. You can also update ipods to the newer features, as people have done with iphones/touch to support applications.

Also, there is no zune to match the ipod touch, the best ipod out there.

Zunes don't have wifi, can't browse the web, some ipods can.

Microsoft is a dodgy company. Just look at them removing playforsure servers, so all those people who spent $100 on buying songs from them, can no longer play them. There is no guarantee that they won't do the same again.

Also, you can write software for the ipod. It is great to see Microsoft allowing this, but so does Apple.

I own both an iPod Touch and and a 2nd generation Zune 80 Gig model. The current 120 gig model is actually a 3rd generation device.

Here are my thoughts on the matter:

The Zune is a better Music Player and Media Player for a number of reasons still not supported by the iPod Touch..

I can bring my Zune into the room with my Xbox 360 and if there is wireless present I can play any music on the Zune's hard drive over my 5.1 Xbox 360 stereo hookup just by being in the room thanks to the Zune's support of Universal Plug N Play Music Sharing over wireless.

If I bring my iPod Touch into the room I have to sync it up to my PC to work there is no UPNP capability on the IPOD TOUCH.

The IPOD TOUCH with it's applications makes a better PDA, but I bought the device as a Music Player and on the merits of music play alone it wins.

As far as a connected device goes, I also think the Zune is far superior. Even though my new 2008 Ford Focus with Microsoft sync supports any IPOD, the experience is much better with the Zune plugged in. Mostly no one knows what a Zune is, so I can leave it in the car not hidden like the ipod.

The big difference that people who are IPOD folks really don't grasp is the connectivity with Windows Media Center and being able to take Media directly to and from the Zune including music.

I like the IPOD Touch's built in stores, that work over wifi but lets face it everytime I get something through that it's like Apple is nickel and diming me.

I don't have to buy TV programs to watch later with the Zune, I just record em with Media Center and send it on over (no confusing Itunes syncing software to deal with either).. The Zune has no problems with my music collection licensing or ever finding music art if I didn't buy it from Itunes either..

Games on the Zune are top notch, and are developed on the same system as PC and XBOX 360 games.

I like the IPOD Touch's PDA functionality, but it suffers on the music side of things.. For music it's just not as functional..

There isn't a lack of content for either system. I can't wait to see Microsoft and Netflix get together for a streaming movie client on the Zune. Yeah I am dreaming, they haven't announced it but I think since how popular it is on the Xbox already it shouldn't be long before it makes it to the Zune..

The IPOD TOUCH IS A GREAT PDA, but not such a powerful IPOD..

the zune is a fantastic player i had bought a 30gb and brought it to canada through the border and i must say it was worth it i am an audiphile and zune to me has superior sound quality apples just distort and clip also having a zune 30 i have goten four of my friends to buy zunes 2 have 80gb 1 has a 4gb and one has a 16gb. and as a pratical joke on apple we went into their store and just started sharing songs it caught peoples attention and they strted to ask what it was well we told them and we got some people very interseted but then of course mr manager got angry so we had to leave but it was worth it

Fellow anon:

Just used go to artist today! NEVER noticed it but something by Serj came on and I needed to hear his other stuff. Hit the center button and BOOM at the bottom hiding was GO TO ARTIST! Whoh! :D

Great reasons. Pretty much, Zune Pass, WiFi, Radio.

BEATS IPOD TOUCH IN:
Zune Pass, Radio

*Typed days ago, never posted. Anyways, just used Go To Artist again today for Boys Like Girls :D

The Zune Pass = Not really a great idea


The moment you stop paying for it, those songs are no longer yours and you can't listen to them anymore. Buy a song on iTunes, it's yours forever.

Interesting just posted to my blog.
polel.net

Jesse,

With the Zune Pass, you get access to a ton of music, and yes, it expires if you stop paying.

However, you also get to keep 10 songs a month FOREVER. In my opinion, this makes it WAY better than buying individual songs from iTunes.

What about the Creative Zen? It beats the iPod with it's 16.7 million color screen, FM Radio, Microphone, supports more formats - windows. Creative invented the iPod interface, which Apple stole.

Creative Zen Vision M is the best player. If they were to be continued and had a 80 or 120 GB version, it would definitely be number one.

Creative, bring back the M!

itunes is the worst software EVER
itunes is on like what version 8

in my opinion zune software 2.0 was better then what itunes is now

the only nice thing about itunes is the giant store, because local bands put their music one there through tunecore

and have you ever went through a long list on an ipod? it takes FOREVER, on a zune just one brush of the thumb down and you have jumped like 30-40 items

srry for the double post but...

the only thing microsoft has yet to do is to sell worldwide and to have compatibility on OSX

and of course feed us those awesome updates :P

The Zune is to the iPod as Windows Mobile is to iTouch. They are very different devices and as such you really cannot compare media players (Zune) to PDAs (iPhone).

Personally, I feel that the iPhone/iTouch doesn't hold a candle to Windows Mobile. First gen iPhone were far off, 2nd gen are close. But what finishes the debate (for me at least) is that I can pull the microSD card (used with an SD adapter) from my digital camera (it has a real flash and higher quality than any cell phone) and pop it into my HTC TytnII and edit it and send it via email or post it to Picasa Web or Facebook.

In that same regard, the iPod is also bested in many regards by my Tilt, but my phone is not as good as my Zune when it comes to being used as a dedicated device, though being able to stream local radio on the Tilt via the cell network in my office where I can't get FM reception and where we have a net admin(me) that blocks internet radio via the filters.

Uhm, it's not hard to transfer songs from iTunes to the Zune. All you have to do is burn a CD (or CDs) and then import them from there to the Zune software. Simple. *shrug*

Here's another reason: Service. I had an 30G iPod video that I loved. I bought it in 2005 and used it for entertainment and photo storage when we went to Brazil that fall. In 2007, just two years later, it stopped working. I couldn't get it past the iPod "sad face" screen, no matter what I did. I called Apple support and was told that since it was outside of warranty they could not talk to me. NOT they could not fix it for free - THEY COULD NOT TALK TO ME ABOUT IT. They refused to offer over-the-phone help, and further said that if I took it in to an Apple store, they could not help me either. I had to buy a new unit.

My husband bought me a Zune for Valentine's Day this year, and I've been a fan ever since. I've had a few problems w/ syncing and such (my fault-not the Zune's), but MS has always been GREAT about helping. I'm done w/ Apple where MP3 players are concerned.

I tunes sucks. I got the Ipod from the fiancee who loves it. Loves it!

Every time I try to mess with itunes I want to throw it in the garbage. I do not use the store because the quality sucks really bad. I burn my CDs so I have the best quality. I hate that I can't get the music I already own off my ipod when Vista crashed my computer! WTF I already own it. It came from my CDs which I already own.

I hate itunes with a passion.

#12: Mixview
I love the Mixview feature, which shows you artists/albums similar to an album you're looking at. Great to find similar sounds and artists.

#13: Picks
Shows you songs you may like, based on your current collection. Pretty hit and miss, but I usually get 2-3 new songs per pick-list, which is enough to make me love it.


I was a little iffy about the Zune pass before, but now that we can keep 10 songs a month, there is no better deal. I download songs when I hear them playing on the radio somewhere, since most places have a wireless signal you can pick up. Zune really is setting trends that I expect everyone to pick up.

Reason 11 you added is really big for me. I travel frequently, so I set up my media center to record the TV shows I want to watch. Every weekend I sync them to my Zune 80 and take them with me on the road.
I believe Microsoft needs to show people how simple this is. It really beats paying for free brodacast TV, as most Apple users do.

I started off with a first gen black 30gig, and since then I've upgraded to the black 80gig, as well as convincing 4 of my friends to buy 80gigs as well. Some of the features that got them hooked? The fact that Zune is designed for people with friends. I don't need to say "Hey man whatcha listening to?" because i can just check on my zune. More than music, we send each other pictures constantly, and they dont have any time limit. And now the five of us can all sit around and play Texas Hold'em with each other, or have a Checkers tournament. And for anyone who says that ipod has more games with better quality, I'll direct you here: http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/download-completed-games-174/

These are regualr people who love their zunes and know how to program, and a few of these games are flat out amazing.

i have an 8gb zune, and i really like it for the most part. i dont really care for being pigeon-holed into using the zune software though.

a few things that i think would round out the zune player are:

1. expandable memory - every recent sandisk player ive seen has a micro-sd expansion slot. this would make them much more appealing, seeing as how the price of new players with more memory drops every year. that way you could get several years out of a player, without running out of space.

2. create and save playlists on the player - i often find myself remaking the 'now playing' list with the same tracks. it would be really handy to be able to create a playlist and save it on the player (and import it to the player on the next sync).

3. .avi/.divx/.xvid support - i have a ton of media in the most popular format... avi. the zune player not supporting these formats is a real pain. it sucks having to transcode a video to mpeg (and store it twice). this is the same thing we went through with the xbox 360. ms needs to have universal standards when it comes to supported media on their devices.

"This feature not only allows you to detect other Zunes in your vicinity" - then I hope it has a range of several miles.

Wow this post really left a smile on my face.

As being the only kid in my highschool with a zune (zune 80) i've been teased, since apparently the "Ipod" is better. I had an 80 gig video ipod before. Let me tell you, this came no where near the quality of the zune 80.

My ipod's hard drive went bad a week after warranty ended. Whoop de doo apple, of course I'll pay you $150 for another hard drive!

Fuck off apple. The xbox console was microsofts debut into the console market. It was weak. The Xbox 360 came out afterwards, and it's the most popular system out right now. It's fanbase and online game community is incredibly large.

The zune was microsofts first entry, and it was good. The zune 80 was the second product released, and it was better.

Now when the zune 3 comes out, microsoft will handle apple easily.

About time OSX brats.

Oh, and Itunes is a sorry excuse for software. The main reason I switched to zunes, instead of caving in and buying another Ipod

Fuck you Ron
Apple

Jeff, the Zune Social. That for me is one of the most compelling things. To see what my friends are playing, what new music they are finding, and with one touch add it to my collection of music. Its a great way to find new stuff and express yourself. The online presence added to socials like Facebook, MySpace, Spaces. Its a great feature that is very unique and very fun.

DRM is not an issue with Zunes. Roughly 90% of the tracks on the Zune Marketplace are DRM-free mp3s. The only time DRM is in play is when using the Zune Pass. The 10 songs you get to keep are DRM free as well...

Wow, Obama uses a Zune! http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/clog/2008/12/02/cardio-with-obama/

Thank you for posting these reasons. Hardly anyone I know owns a zune. Thats why I'm not turning my wireless on as much as I should be. NO ONE OWNS ONE. Maybe with the upcoming holidays people will reconsider the zune.

Thanks Jeff. I didn't realize how good the Zune is.

Solid post Jeff.

I have a zune 80 and have had it for about 6 months, and so far I have nothing to complain about. I have had 4 ipods in the past and none of them were as good as the zune. For one i don't lick the click wheel on the i-pod and secondly the UI on that thing is terrible. The zune on the other hand is perfect for me. Nice big display, and it is very simple to use. Also iTunes is much less usef friendly than the zune software.

I'm never buying another i-pod again!!

Jeff, XNA Game Studio 3.0 is now at its final version; it's no longer a Community Technical Preview.

And yeah, I love playing games on my Zune. Heck, I liked how one guy has made an RPG for the Zune. (Sure, RPGs may not be liked by everyone, but they are good time-killers.)

As much as I love my Zune, I have to say that the most annoying thing for me is that it won't sync with Windows Media Player. But otherwise I find at least half your points valid to me.

Very good point of view. Well articulated.
In the Road Ahead, Bill Gates details why #2 (obsolescence) is the fuel of the (software) industry. I think Apple learned that lesson very well from the teacher Microsoft.
The Zune is after all a very good value but one that competes against its own kind in the personal media player realm stealing market share from other manufacturers.

As a general rule, I agree with your reasons Jeff, my personal fav's are the pass and the fact that my original Zune is still usable.

Apple has one true advantage over the Zune IMO

- Acessories, iPod has a lot of docks, cases, add-on that the Zune unfortunately can't match at this point.

BTW, if MS wants to push the Zune pass, IMO they should extend the marketplace to support Windows Mobile devices, would be great to have my music sync'ed to my two Zunes and my Windows Mobile phone. It would also give the marketplace an instant potential audience in the millions.

Zune Rules, but one negative point is that it is not as widespread as ipod so ipod has an advantage in univerality among the public.

Oh and one more reason: the zune touchpad is much better

I think your reasons are pretty good. The most compelling ones for me are software differences, Zune Pass, Zune PC software, wireless shopping. On hardware the iPod Touch wins hands down. I don't care if it's a little more expensive, it is simply a more useful device. That plus the huge number of apps available for the touch and it makes the zune less interesting to carry around. What MS should do is write a Zune app for the iPod-Touch/iPhone.

To all of the people comparing the Zune 80/120 to the Ipod touch, please dont. My friend and his brother both own ipod touches and I think that they summed it up best. I quote "The Ipod Touch is not a MP3 player, it is a PDA that can play MP3s." That is really what it is. The itouch should be compared to PDAs, not MP3 players, simply because it does not appear to be focused on music, but instead the main selling point is the appstore. The comparison that SHOULD be made however, is between the Zune 120 and the Ipod Classic, since the Classic is sold as an MP3 player. Just thought I'd join it. Great article by the way.

P.S. To the person who said that the 30GB is a brick, you got that right. I've had mine for 2 years now, and dropped it (accidentally) on blacktop, cement, and floors. This is usually caused by it falling out of my shirt pocket. Each time it happened, I was horrified, yet each time it happened, it came out with barely a scratch. I swear that it is the most durable MP3 player I have ever seen.

P.P.S. Note that my last MP3 player was a Creative 20GB Zen Sleek Photo the broke simply because I had the gall to use it consistently for a year.

I have had my zune for about a year. (Seems longer though.) I love it and since the games came out, I have used it even more. (Though I still haven't figured out how I could use it more than 24/7...) I had a creative 256mb muvo before my 4gb zune. The only problems that I have is that I need more storage space on my zune. (Which will be fixed as soon as I can buy a 30gb.) And that when I watch a movie or play a game, the battery gets sucked dry really fast. But those are minor problems.

The biggest thing I have with Ipod: It CRASHES AND WON'T REBOOT. You have to wait hours for the battery to be fully drained in order to reboot the damn thing. Oh and why did it crash? It fell or it had firmware problems. (This was my brothers ipod...)

I don't really do this, but since people keep comparing the Itouch and the Iphone with the zune. (Even after it has been stated that the Itouch and the Iphone are not dedicated music devices like the zune.) All those after this post that compare the Itouch and the Iphone to the zune are lazy people that don't know what they are talking about, so just ignore them.

@erik
Sure if you only want to compare against hardware that only plays mp3s then the Zune does indeed stack up nicely. However, that isn't a very interesting category in my opinion. It's sort of like coming out with a brand new analog tape format to replace VHS after the DVD came out.

The reliability of this player is unquestioned. For the previous comments about the Zune being a "brick." I've dropped this thing so many times and it still works amazes me. I'm in the USAF and I've been to Iraq on 2 deployments already with this thing and its still going strong. Right now I'm on my third deployment with it (hell, I'm upgrading from my 1st gen 30gb to the new 120gb). I had a iPod once, and I'm glad that it got lost in the desert or I wouldnt have gone to the Zune. Thank you Microsoft, now get me an alarm clock dock for it and I'll be a happy man.

@cakesy: the zune does have wifi. it had wifi before anyone ever thought of putting wifi on a portable media player.

that's actually how the zune can send content to other zunes, or how it manages wireless sync.

as for support for Divx and similar, i expect the next update may include support. Windows 7 already has it built in (with support for transcoding) so i figure the next version of ZMP may use these and devices can get that axxo rip of Dark Knight easy.

@eric

That is an excellent point. Let's compare MP3s to MP3s and PDAs to PDAs.

And there are ways to get around the protection on those Apple tunes. Plug the output of the iPod into a sound card input and re-record. Plenty of freeware music software out there.

I've owned both iPod and Zune and am most happy with my current 80GB Zune. I also currently have an iPhone, which, while it does play music, is not even close to being a replacement for the Zune. I love that I can use Media Center to record 12 hours of the Disney channel, sync the video to my Zune and play it through the DVD players in my wife's SUV while we're driving 12 hours to Ohio.

My wife loves that she can wirelessly sync her 30GB Zune while it's in the cradle in the kitchen.

One more thing I really like? The fact that I can plug my $400 Ultimate Ears direclty into my Zune, while the stupid iPod needed a $20 adapter cable to use a standard 1/8" headphone plug.

@cakesy

Wow, you're ignorant.

The Zune absolutely has WiFi. In fact, the primary feature of Zune since day one has been the availability of WiFi - something Apple only recently added with the the iPod Touch.

Any BTW: If you consider storage to be an important element in choosing a media player, my 120GB Zune beats the holy CRAP out of the iPod Touch's 32GB maximum for the same money.

Don't go talking about things you know nothing about, child.

@ AirForce Cop

Alarm Clock Dock for Zune? You mean like this?
http://www.zunescene.com/ihome-zn9-zune-alarm-clock/

iHome's had it available since June.

As said before, a lot of these features would be for people that know what they're doing. Unfortunately, most people are stupid when it comes to this kind of stuff.

Its like saying one of the reasons the PS3 is better than the Xbox 360 because it has printer support.

I have had both and I prefer the zune over the ipod yeah itunes has more things but zune has the zune pass and the wireless download. that's my opinion take it or leave it

I love my Zune 30, so don't get me wrong. But I just got my wife an ipod touch, and it pretty much puts the Zune to shame, with regards to it's capabilities and "REAL" games you can play on it without wearing out your buttons like on the Zune. For pure music and video listening/playing, I like the Zune hands-down. A 32gb ipod touch would cost me $400, and have no more storage than my trusty Zune. But don't have a blind allegiance to Microsoft just because you have a Zune, and don't hate the ipod because "everyone" has one. The ipod touch is clearly a generation ahead of the Zune.

I LOVE my Zune!! I have the 120GB model, filled to the freakin BRIM with tunes from ZunePass, 80GB and counting. There is just no comparing the two and I used to be a die hard iPod guy.

I didn't have time to read all 94 comments so hopefully I'm not repeating anything. I did want to comment on a few things I've read plus other negative comments I usually encounter.

First off, your first reason really could be broken up into two or three separate points.
1. Zune Pass
a. Use all the subscription music on three Zunes.
b. 10 free DRM-free songs per month.
c. Download songs with your subscription using the Zune Marketplace software on three computers. Even this could be broken out further because you can actually stream the music on many many many more computers!

(I'm actually sold on the Marketplace functionality alone.)


So, on to the negative remarks.

Q. "Well what if I don't want to pay $15 a month?"
A. "You have the OPTION to subscribe. Otherwise just use it like you would any other music player that doesn't have the OPTION for a subscription."

Q. "I don't trust M$ and DRM. They are out to take our money, pillage the village and steal our children."
A. "Tell me, which company do you think would benefit the most from DRM? Would it be a company with enormous market share and users who have an equally enormous collection of DRM protected music? Or, a company attempting to gain market share from those leaders in the market? Now I want you to think really hard about this and tell me who would benefit the most if DRM went away? As that so many have gotten this wrong I'll go ahead and say it; the company who has locked in users for almost a decade would probably be hit the hardest if their users could just up and walk away with all their purchased content."

* This leads me into another favorite anti-Zune question.
Q. "Well if I pay $15 a month for the subscription and I cancel it what happens to all my music."
A. "All the music you've bought, including the 10 free monthly songs, will play just fine. You just won't be able to play the songs you simply downloaded."
Q. "Well see, that's my point, all the music goes away."
A. "Umm… No, the functionality would then act similar to iTunes (except you still have ALL the added Zune perks, including re-subscribing and having all your subscription music play again). Here, let me ask you a similar question; What happens to my channels if I cancel my cable TV service? Oh, it goes away… Now, would it sound stupid if I started to throw a fit about that? Think about it."

* I particularly dislike this question, well it's more like a statement.
Q. "The Zune music sharing feature only lets you play a received song 3 times."
A. "You must be kidding. Here you have actually managed to take an optional feature and turn it into a negative quality about the product. For one thing, if you receive a song and plug in or wirelessly sync your Zune, the Zune Pass allows you to just transfer your subscription info right to the song. Actually, I believe with the now built-in marketplace, you could do it right over any WAN right on the device."



Okay, I'm done with the Q/A deal but I'd like to end it on a happy note, I'd like to add to your #9 reason. First, you can leave your Zune plugged into your Xbox and just wirelessly sync it. Wireless is not as fast as direct LAN but it is more than acceptable unless you're restoring your entire music library. It is in no way a negative feature about the product. And to be clear it is fast just not 'as' fast. So yeah if you are syncing huge podcasts all day long then you might want to consider otherwise. You can wirelessly sync an album in a matter of seconds so that's not even near an issue.
Also, you don't have to connect the Zune to the Xbox at all. The Xbox will connect right to the Zune Marketplace software running on your computer which allows music, videos, shows, pictures, etc all to be streamed instantly.
NOTE: None of this is even comparable to iPod and Xbox or the iPod and the PS3 like one user mentioned. This is due to the fact that iPod does not play OR EVEN HAVE AN OPTION TO PLAY subscription music. However, plugging in a Zune or streaming the content to your Xbox allows for a pretty excellent experience.

Ah, another last one. Windows Media Center plays all your Zune content as well. This means that you can have your computer or a Media Center Extender (such as the Xbox) play all the content as well.


Okay I'm done. There is so much to say but I'm a bit winded as I've been explaining the Zune's benefits for quite some time now. It gets frustrating talking to a wall all the time. It is rewarding though when a user takes my word over Best Buy, Circuit City and GameStop employees and buys the Zune. They usually buy a second one for their spouse within weeks.

Thanks,
Zac B.

No..I wouldn't want to upgrade something like a '65 vette...but that has nothing to do with it. I don't want to shell out at least 100 bucks every year to get the latest features. I like the whole "one and done" deal. I plug it in to my computer and it says it needs to update and BAM! I have games. I don't have to buy a whole new one!

My brother bought an iPod nano when they first came out and it royally screwed his Microsoft computer. He was then unable to connect wirelessly in our house anymore. So, while iTunes works great with Apple computers, not everyone has Apple! Zune software is great for Microsoft computers! I love it.

i love the feeling of coverting someone who would of gotten a ipod into getting a zune.

I dont see how these people are compairing the touch to the Zunes, they are totally different. and the touch only has one advantage over the Zunes and that is the browser and apps. the Zune 120GB is about $250, i believe the 32GB touch is around $400....you kidding me??? OOOO but touch is sooooo Kool.....how about wiping off the fingerprints every time you touch it? cool? i think not. the screen has a better resolution, but on a video of higher quality (around 800 bitrate) the advantage of the higher resolution is pretty much gone. the Zune has better contrast when watching videos and the screen is 3.2" compaired to 3.5" to the touch. I admit, i was an ipod owner because it was time for an upgrade and i just didnt know about the Zunes then. after about 2 months with the ipod i started searching for something to hold my 95GB of media (lots of movies.....i travel a lot) and after seeing the puny screen of the 120GB ipod and the Ginormous price tag of the touch (not to mention the size that would hold 1/3 of my media) i looked into other options and found my Zune 120GB and have never looked back. Wireless can be turned off to save battery life, i can have my cable at work for charging the Zune and sync it wirelessly at home. Zunepass makes it easy to fill my extra 30GB of storage with the latest music( with higher bitrates than itunes music) also the software updates my album art as long as i have the artist and the album name...no more searching the internet for the albumart. the only thing i miss from itunes is the ability to buy and rent Movies...i used that a bit with all my travels, now i just rent movies from blockbuster, rip them to my computer and have them forever :)

you should add the Zune to PC feature that the ipod lacks.

and everyone waiting for itunes to become zune friendly, it has happened. just search for it

I travel regularly & had a zen xtra so I could carry my whole music collection with me & listen to whatever my mood dictated. A couple years ago I wanted an update in capacity & to add video capabilities. After some research my first choice was a zune, but they weren't selling them in Canada yet, so I got an ipod classic 160gb. I found it to be capable, & it turned me on to podcasts & it had some other features that I used regularly (alarm clock, games). Recently the zune 120gb with a/v package was on sale here, so I got one (with a plan to sell my ipod). But here are ten reasons why I am dissapointed in the zune (hardware/software).

1. zune software was a pain to install even though my computer met all the published specs.
2. about 5% of tags were imported incorrectly by zune software (100% worked with itunes, mediamonkey, windows mce2005 & winamp) so I have only imported about 1,000 of >10,000 songs so far, because of the problems.
3. no search function within the zune player (how do I find a specific song when away from my computer?) THIS IS A BIG BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!
4. no lyrics access within the zune player.
5. the screen on the zune has the worst motion blur I have ever seen on any lcd (video is ok when sent out to a tv)
6. no built in alarm clock (saw that someone has written their own, but haven't tried it yet)
7. no video playlists (& about a half dozen other sorting & tagging shortcomings in the zune software)
8. a long list (of songs etc) takes too long to navigate because you can't jump by whole letters.
9. even though it can play mp4 video it can't play divx or mpg1/2 video which are easier to decode.
10.battery life is poor for videos & games.


With that said, I have to add that I like:
1. the fm radio
2. that users can write their own games
3. you can uses headphone jack for video out (ipod no longs supports this)
4. it was a really good price for a player with, dock, remote & video cables.


The bottom line, that I take away from this, is that the designers at microsoft are simply stupid, while the designers at apple are intentional assholes.

Wow, that's a good list! I especially like #1, 2, 6, 8, and 10. I was going to get an iPod Touch, but you've convinced me. The only thing I think I'll miss is the Web Browser, but I have a laptop for that.

I was wondering, can you just buy a year's worth of Zune Pass? And does it include the videos?

Oh, yeah, and the other thing I'll miss is the TV Shows/Movies and the podcasts.

Best reason:
Zune is more fun to say than iPod.
Plus, I hate having to wait for the second letter to capitalize.

Here are the 10 reasons why iPod is better than Zune!!!

Myth 1: The Zune has a larger screen that’s better for movies.

The iPod’s 2.5“ display is smaller, but the 3” Zune and last year’s iPod both offer the same resolution. The Zune’s slightly larger display is still showing the same number of dots; they’ll just be more obviously pixelated because each dot is larger. The lower pixel density of the Zune’s screen means its display can only be less sharp.

This flaw is exaggerated by Microsoft’s Vista-esque choice of using soft alpha transparency throughout the Zune interface. This makes for nice marketing photos, but makes it harder to navigate through screens when focusing on other things: walking, driving, exercising, riding a bike, or other things iPod users do.

While neither the iPod nor the Zune provide a cinematic movie experience, there is no benefit to having a slightly larger screen at the same resolution in a handheld device, apart from possibly lower battery life.

Viewed comfortably in the hand, the tiny iPod screen is the same relative size as a 27“ TV viewed from across a small room. The difference between the tiny iPod screen and the small Zune screen is relatively equivalent to viewing the iPod an inch or two closer–hardly the big deal Microsoft is trying to make it out to be.

In comparison, the display resolution of the 15” MacBook Pro is the same as the first 17“ Powerbook. The same resolution on a smaller screen simply looks better. For a competing handheld display to offer a better viewing experience, it would have to provide a higher resolution display. The Zune doesn’t.



Myth 2: The Zune screen has a horizontal display mode for viewing movies in a wide aspect ratio.

Widescreen movies do look better when presented on a wide screen, but the Zune doesn’t offer a wide aspect display; it has to stretch or letterbox the screen to show wide aspect movies just the same as an iPod or standard definition TV would.

It doesn’t gain magic dots of new resolution by being held sideways! It just distorts the display to show it in a stretched 3×4 aspect ratio, at the very same resolution. Microsoft carefully avoids calling it a wide aspect display because it isn’t.

A wide aspect ratio screen might not even be a great idea for a handheld device, because a wide display would be wasted when watching content designed for TV, which is probably a more likely and practical use for a portable device than watching cinematic movies designed for presentation in a palatial 70 mm Cinerama theater. What’s next, a handheld IMAX? Handheld cinema lacks a certain je ne sais quoi.



I’ve watched a number of movies on my iPod in airplanes, and I find the size of the screen isn’t as important as its brightness or annoyances with reflective glare, particularly since I’ve scratched up the screen and haven’t gotten around to polishing the nicks out yet.

I’d rather watch a movie on my iPod than pull out a laptop, simply because it affords more privacy and is less obtrusive. I also rip content to my iPod to watch on TV, which I find a more practical use than watching movies or TV on its small screen, unless I’m stuck on a plane.

Lately, I’ve gotten hooked on playing iPod games, which make more sense as a handheld diversion when stuck waiting a few minutes or during a subway commute than trying to watch a movie or even a TV length program.

Myth 3: The Zune will play movies… or any video at all

According to a CNet MP3.com interview with Microsoft executives from two weeks ago, ”the Zune won’t immediately have video playback capability.“ Yikes! It’s supposed to be out the middle of November.

Rather than spinning this news as an understandable delay in putting together a complex product, Microsoft made other comments that suggested the company wasn’t working hard to deliver video playback, but rather discounted video playback as a feature all together…what the heck?!

In an interview with Bryan Lee, the VP and CFO of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division, paidcontent.org quoted Lee as saying:

”You’re right that there’s not a lot of emphasis on [video playback on the Zune] and that really kind of goes to maybe a big vision difference and competitive difference that we see with Apple right now. Our goal right now is to celebrate music. Our goal is to make that celebration a communal celebration and not a solitary celebration and our goal is empower both the artists and then the consumers of that art. That’s really what it’s about. … That’s the big use scenario; it’s what people are doing. Yes, there are some interesting headlines that come out every now and then about licensing 75 movies from your closely affiliated company but the usage around that, when you’re looking at the screen sizes, etc., it’s not a big focus.“

Wow, what a desperate spin! Microsoft is choosing to ”celebrate music“ because there isn’t anything else to celebrate.

By downplaying Apple’s movie programming from Disney, the ”closely affiliated company,“ as merely some ”interesting headlines,“ and completely ignoring a year’s worth of TV programming in the iTS, Microsoft revealed that it isn’t just slightly behind schedule in getting video perfected, but that it actually doesn’t have video on the company’s radar. Oops!



It’s not just a lack of content and media partnerships, but rather a lack of technology, vision, and focus to deliver video playback as a feature. No movies, no TV programming, no video podcasts, but the Zune does come with a few music videos users can at some point watch repeatedly for hours of fun.

Additionally, the Zune features changeable desktop wallpaper. Why? Because having the 3” display light up to look at a static image is a great way to conserve battery life, while applications like video are simply “not a big focus.” Clearly, Microsoft has done their homework in knowing what consumers want: celebrations of synergy.

Myth 4: The Zune will do most everything else the iPod does at the same price

Well no, Microsoft isn’t supporting Audible audiobooks, nor providing any support for podcasting, nor has it announced any support for notes, tasks, calendars, contacts, or games. So all it does is play music.

Myth 5: The Zune offers similar hardware to the iPod at the same price

Well no, it doesn’t have a clickwheel, just a round button designed to look like one. That means there’s no circular input to spin through long lists of songs. The Zune is also thicker and longer. There’s also no support for importing photos from digital cameras like Apple’s iPod camera connector, no any option for sound recorders, and of course no Nike+.

There’s also no Microsoft equivalent to a 80GB iPod, the nano or shuffle. Without any selection of players, Microsoft will lose any sales from consumers who want both a large capacity player as well as a tiny accessory player that syncs with the same music collection. What existing players can Microsoft rebrand to deliver a comparable range in product offerings?

What value is Microsoft offering at the same price? A rewarmed WinCE PDA, packaged as the PlaysForSure Gigabeat music player which failed in the marketplace, and then rebranded again as the Zune. How many layers of failure does it take to deliver an iPod killer?

Myth 6: Wireless features on the Zune provide a compelling new feature.

The radio of a wireless device demands a lot of battery power, as anyone who’s ever used a mobile phone knows. Why put wireless features in a handheld device? While I can think of some interesting sharing or multiplayer game scenarios similar to those offered by handheld systems such as Nindendo’s DS, the Zune’s radio is only offering DRM wrapped exploding media.

Microsoft has only announced support for the ability to slowly upload individual tracks between players, and such a “sharing” always involves a DRM wrapper that destroys the song after three uses or three days, whether it’s a commercial track or not. Additionally, studios will be able to opt out of the sharing feature, so it won’t even work consistently.



The Online Music and Movie Rental Myth

Even more oddly, despite all the talk about sharing and community, a received song can’t be forwarded on to others, so there’s no real community involved at all, just a single buying recommendation. Of course, given the scant likelihood of three Zunes being sold within the same county, this may never come up as an issue.

Who thinks this tepid non-feature will do anything beyond frustrating users while destroying their battery life? Microsoft could have built in support for actual sharing and community features, but instead has reserved the technology solely to spread DRM infections and advertise its own store. Will customers be amused by Microsoft’s crazy hijinks?

Lee compared this wireless sharing advertisement with the “social experiences around a YouTube or a MySpace” and “what they’ve done to reinvigorate a lot of things.” Despite the sharing and caring, the community only exists in the wireless world between Zunes.

There’s no sharing in the Microsoft Zune Marketplace to “reinvigorate a lot of things,” just the same demand for money and the hard sell on a $15 a month rental fee for exploding media. The reward for sharing tracks is simply assisting the collective in assimilating new users.

Given the choice between a) being pressed into service as part of the Microsoft Borg collective and b) having a chair thrown at them by the Borg Queen, it’s hard to imagine which option consumers would find more appealing. I’d rather have a bazillionare hit me with a chair, because it would be much easier to sue for the wounds of assault and battery than for battery loss and salt in a wound.



The Time Machine Rip-Off Myth

Myth 7: Microsoft will deeply discount the Zune as a loss leader to gain marketshare

When WalMart leaked its $289 discounted price for the Zune, it appeared that Microsoft hadn’t anticipated that Apple would cut the price of its similarly sized 30GB iPod to $249. Prior to Apple’s repricing, the Zune would have been ten bucks cheaper. That’s not much of a price difference, but due to human psychology, it would appear to be a meaningful discount.

After Apple unexpectedly dropped prices across the board, the Zune’s original street price was left at a 15% premium over Apple’s. Microsoft has since bit the bullet to bring the Zune down to the same price as the iPod: $249. Microsoft’s accessories are just as premium priced as Apple’s; in fact the prices are copied across the board, from $100 AV cables to a $30 dock; no discounts or competitive prices to be found anywhere.

Even so, a few industry wags inexplicably suggested that Microsoft would discount the Zune to $99 in order to get people to use it. They have since been proven wrong; clearly they didn’t realize the extent of Microsoft’s hubris.

Not only are customers expected to pay the same price for the Zune in its version 1.0 release, with inferior hardware and limited software functionality, but Microsoft is also hitting people up to pay a $15 music subscription for exploding media on top of that.



The Microsoft iPod-Killer Myth

Myth 8: Microsoft will deeply discount the Zune as a loss leader to gain subscription income

If cell phone carriers can subsidize mobile phones to get people to sign up for airtime calling plans, why can’t Microsoft do the same with the Zune? Glad you asked! Music and cell phones aren’t as complementary as analysts seem to think, as I described in Why Mobile Phones Make Bad iPods. Additionally, the market for each is very different.

Cell phones are not worth much without a service plan. We call them “PDAs,” and they simply don’t sell well. To use a mobile, you have to pay per minute. The cheapest plans are around $40 per month, and typical users pay closer to $75 a month, unless they talk on the phone a lot. The minutes that cell providers bill represent a rental charge for radio networks that would otherwise sit idle.

Cell providers have billions invested in their networks, so if they don’t have customers, they have expensive equipment in place that’s just growing obsolete and going to waste. Every customer they can sign up is more revenue with minimal cost.

Cell providers also oversubscribe their networks, betting that most users will be widely distributed and rarely using the system. During a crisis, cell phone networks quickly go out of service as an unusual number of subscribers all try to go online at once.

The costs of finding new customers, and maintaining enough new users to sustain maintenance of their expensive cell networks, is so high that service providers demand that users sign annual contracts. These contracts offer end users an upfront discount on a new phone, financed as part of an ongoing contract.

None of those factors are related to the mobile music business. Unlike phones, players are useful without any subscription; players actually benefit little from paying for a subscription. Why pay monthly charges to rent access to music, when for the same price ($180 a year!), you can collect a significant amount of your own music?



Why Mobile Phones Make Bad iPods

That’s not idle speculation; consumers have simply not supported the rental music model. It has been an ongoing failure for years, and the tide is certainly not turning toward music subscriptions of exploding media rentals.

Not only are music subscription plans optional and unpopular, but they also don’t involve nearly as much profit. Subscription music plans are in the $20 or less range per month, with no opportunity for any added sale of extra minutes or side plans.

That’s a fraction of what cell providers charge, and its not just extra revenue for a system of sunk costs. Music subscriptions involve royalty payments to the artists, or at least the labels that produced the content.

A new $50 a month Cingular customer is enriching the cell company with pure gravy. A $15 music subscription is not pure revenue, but shared with the content owners, in addition to system overhead. Microsoft isn’t selling access to its pool of royalty free content, it’s paying for every subscriber.

Clearly, the profits on subscription media are nothing compared to the gravy train of phone service providers, who can afford to subsidize phone costs in ways no music player company can.

At the same price as the iPod, Microsoft’s Zune isn’t making a hardware profit. Apple has long term hardware contracts for components and massive volume discounts based on the 60 million iPod units it has already sold.

Apple also has been selling hardware for thirty years. What comparable experience does Microsoft have in consumer hardware? Consider that Microsoft has sold 24 million Xbox units since 2001; despite being cheaper than the iPod, Microsoft has only sold 40% as many across the same five year period.

The Xbox is the only significant consumer hardware Microsoft has ever sold, apart from keyboards and mice. Microsoft has only ever managed to use their monopoly to kill competition in software. Hardware sales are a new game, and Microsoft has track record full of failures in hardware; even the Xbox, its brightest prospect, has lost the company billions of dollars.

The Microsoft Invincibility Myth

Apple also has hundreds of stores that are selling new iPods so fast that they require roaming sales people with handheld sales devices to manage lines. Ironically, the millions of iPods being sold in Apple stores are often rung up on handheld devices that are apparently WinCE based!

So Apple has built-in sales and a huge installed base of demand for its product. It regularly sells complementary iPod models to existing users, and its Made for iPod ecosystem is so profitable for third party partners that even rival Creative joined. Apple is also selling the iPod at a sustainable profit, not a loss leader price that it has to eventually make up for by selling enough accessories or subscription sales.

Microsoft has no sales infrastructure to sell Zunes to end users directly. They’ll sit on shelves next to the PlaysForSure devices Microsoft now has to compete against, including the existing Gigabeat that already isn’t selling. They’ll also be competing against iPods on those same shelves, along with other music players such as Creative Zen and the number two SanDisk Sansa.

People who want an iPod, or already have an iPod, are likely to buy an iPod, so the remaining 25% of the market will be competing largely against each other for the customers who aren’t already sold on Apple’s player. Creative and SanDisk aren’t likely to lay down for Microsoft.

Microsoft also has no tie in with either the Xbox or Windows; neither is going to auto-sell the Zune. The Windows monopoly is as powerless to force Zune adoption as it was to force PlaysForSure adoption. Users will have to drop $250 on a Zune to get one, and then they’ll get a hard sell for expensive accessories and media subscriptions because Microsoft originally expected to sell the Zune for 15% more than it’s currently priced.

There you have it: there’s no deep discounts, no competitive pricing, and no subsidized windfall happening for the Zune, although there might be a fire sale at some point.

Myth 9: The Zune has excited a lot of users already

Could there be more bad news? Of course! Even Paul Thurrott isn’t impressed with the Zune, calling its pricing strategy the “makings of a disaster.” Misery! Not only has the Zune suffered a horrific wreck of a product introduction, but Annie Wilkes is at the foot of the bed saying she doesn’t approve of how things are going.



The iTunes Monopoly/Failure Myth

If your number one fan is sending you hate mail, you have a problem. So what’s with all the Zune related web sites carefully repeating the same talking points? It’s called astroturfing.

Instead of inspiring actual interest in a grassroots fashion, Microsoft has resorted to spreading fake grass, crafting each site to suggest the appearance of something other than the advertisement it is.



iPod vs Zune: Microsoft’s Slippery Astroturf

This is similar to the scam Microsoft pulled with its own imitation of Apple’s Switchers ad campaign. Titled “Confessions of a Mac to PC Convert,” the ad portrayed a professionally dressed woman complaining about her Mac, but ended up being a canned picture pulled from stock photography and voiced by a professional writer.

Stevenson Fails ‘Report Card’ on Mac Ads

Similarly, Greenpeace staffers have assigned to post “I’m a Mac user and gosh darn it I think that Greenpeace is alright with all their concern about the ecology!”

Top Secret: Greenpeace Report Misleading and Incompetent

One would expect a certain level of interest and excitement out of Microsoft’s own users, but that isn’t really happening. Nearly every Zune site on the web is carefully stepping around the piles of problems to spend a lot of time on Microsoft supplied bullet points, including the “celebration of music,” the slightly larger or at least stretched display, and how wireless DRM sharing is such a brilliant idea.

To paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield: the only way Microsoft could get a dog to play with the Zune would be to tie a porkchop around its neck.

Myth 10: Available in Brown

Haha, actually this myth is true, if any retailers actually choose to stock it. Brown! What was Microsoft thinking? It’s not even a nice brown.



10 Ways Microsoft Can Salvage their iPod Killer

Honorable mention Myth: Zune PlaysForSure

Microsoft managed to make its weak PlaysForSure brand even more meaningless. What a bummer for Napster and all of the other Microsoft partners, as well as anyone who invested in PFS songs.

Of course, given the nosedive in subscriptions Napster reported, by the end of the year, most of that content will already have exploded.

The PFS dead horse will rise from its own ashes to become the dead horse of Zune Markeplace subscriptions. How long will Microsoft beat this one?



Why Microsoft’s Zune is Still Failing

What do you think? I really like to hear from readers. Leave a comment or email me with your ideas.