iPod Vs. Zune Spec Showdown!
Well its a close call as both have there strong and weak points in “specs”. I guarantee you would not notice that from the sales though. You will notice though a $20 in price difference between iPod’s 8 GB ($199) and Zune’s ($179). Other then that they are the same cost across the board. A large plus for the Zune is the extra feature that apple is yet to add: Wi-Fi, Landscape mode, FM transmitter, custom wallpaper, Higher res. Video out, social network syncing, touch pad, cheaper download service, gaming communities, and not to mention the high end audio earphones included that are so sweet! So microsoft does have a bit to boast about but they are missing key elements… Mac compatibility is missing?? Why microsoft, the iPod is friendly with you. Now the main concern for many was the lack of variety in colors, and model types. Then there is the small amount of 3rd party accessories for the Zunes. They are getting there, but apples accessories blow them away. When all is said in done, you need to ask yourself what you are looking for. Much like the windows 95 and Linux days your looking at Features (Zune) vs. Convenience (iPod). So far and maybe always convenience is winning.
Category |
80gb Zune
|
80gb iPod
|
4/8 gb Zune
|
4/8 gb Nano
|
|
Price
|
$249
|
$249
|
$149 / $179
|
$149 / $199
|
|
Storage
|
80 GB
|
80 GB
|
4gb / 8gb
|
4gb / 8gb
|
|
Wi-Fi
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
|
Wireless File Sharing
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
|
Wireless Sync
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
|
Landscape Mode
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
|
Portrait Mode
|
YES
|
YES
|
YES
|
YES
|
|
FM Tuner
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
|
Preloaded Audio
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
|
Preloaded Video
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
|
Max Battery Life
|
30hr
|
30 hr
|
24 hr
|
24hr
|
|
Preloaded Virus
|
none
|
RavMonE-6.0.exe
|
none
|
RavMonE-6.0.exe
|
|
Custom Background
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
|
Manufacturer
|
Flextronics
|
Foxconn
|
Flextronics
|
Foxconn
|
|
Screen Size
|
3.2″
|
2.5″
|
1.8″
|
2.0″
|
|
LCD Resolution
|
320×240
|
320×240
|
320×240
|
320×240
|
|
Video out (TV)
|
720×576
|
640×480
|
none
|
640×480
|
|
USB
|
2.0
|
2.0
|
2.0
|
2.0
|
|
Colors
|
Black
|
White, Black
|
Pink, red, green, black
|
Silver (4GB)
White, teal, green, black, red (8GB) |
|
Click Wheel
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
|
Tactile + Touch Control
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
|
Online Service
|
Zune Marketplace
|
iTunes
|
Zune Marketplace
|
iTunes
|
|
Unlimited Downloads
|
$14.99/month
|
none
|
$14.99/month
|
none
|
|
Podcast Service
|
YES
|
YES
|
YES
|
YES
|
|
Battery
|
Li-Ion
|
Li-Ion
|
Li-Ion
|
Li-Ion
|
|
XBOX Marketplace Integration
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
|
Unique Online Card
|
Zune Card
|
none
|
Zune Card
|
none
|
|
3rd Party Accessories
|
YES
|
YES
|
YES
|
YES
|
|
Social Networking
|
YES
|
none
|
YES
|
none
|
|
Weight
|
4.5 ounces
|
4.9 ounces
|
1.7 ounces
|
1.74 ounces
|
|
Width
|
2.4″
|
2.4″
|
1.6″
|
3.6″
|
|
Height
|
4.25″
|
4.1″
|
3.6″
|
2.75″
|
|
Thickness
|
0.5″
|
0.43″
|
.33
|
.26
|
|
Tattoo Freak
|
MSzunefan
|
none
|
MSzunefan
|
none
|
|
User Forum
|
Zune Scene
|
iLounge
|
Zune Scene
|
iLounge
|
|
Compatibility
|
PC
|
Mac, PC
|
PC
|
Mac, PC
|
|
Replaceable Batteries
|
NO
|
NO
|
NO
|
NO
|
|
User made games
|
XNA toolkit
|
none
|
XNA toolkit
|
none
|
|
Special Edition
|
Zune Originals
|
tbd
|
tbd
|
tbd
|
|
Vendor
|
Microsoft
|
Apple
|
Microsoft
|
Apple
|
|
Other “Brand Family” Products
|
none
|
Shuffle , iPhone,
iPod Touch , iPod 160 |
none
|
Shuffle , iPhone,
iPod Touch, iPod 160 |
|
Headphones
|
Premium Earphones
|
earbud
|
earbud
|
earbud
|
