Zune stacks up in size: iPods, Zen, Sansa
By Ryan Block 
posted November 5th 2006 10:41PM
posted November 5th 2006 10:41PM
P.S. -In case you're wondering, the screens only "lit" on the Zune because it's a non-functional retail display unit.
[Thanks, Steven]
Urgh !
Zune - is so old skool, it might even become successful for its retro looks...
ha hah ha...
oh dear of dear M$ -- (please give up - its painful to see you make such a mess of things...
It's good to see quite a few of you Apples are in denial on the zune capabilities and sexy looks. Where is the best mini media player out now? The iRiver Clix!?
"It's good to see quite a few of you Apples are in denial on the zune (...) sexy looks."
This time, Apple fanboys aren't the only ones. Half of the planet is laughing at the look of the zune, and the other half doesn't know about it!
ROFL
Hopefully by the time this time arrives in europe/uk, at the moment rumoured to be in 2008, it will be thinner! But another 12-18mths of ipod development between now and then! Competition is good for the consumer...but then creative etc have good devices on paper but its the whole package with the ipod that wins (itunes store/itunes app/ipod plus huge array of third party stuff)
OK folks, here's the bottom line. Zune weighs less than an ounce more than the Ipod and is .1" thicker than the Ipod. All other specs are ident. Stop calling it hulk. Words hurt.
And Ipodders, really, y'all shouldn't be battery bashing. I seem to remember the ole "Ipod batteries die after 18 mos" brewha here in NYC. Creative pwned pod batteries for years. That's right. Years.
For my money, I like the old school brown Zune. Has a geek-cool look to it. I'm not buying one though, cause I'm still happy (not about the scratching) with my 5G Ipod.
One last thing: So it only has 30GB. Big freakin' deal. I bought a 30 GB white and gray DMP because I didn't want to carry 15,000 songs with me all the time. Takes up less space on the 'puter as well.
How much has MS paid for the wall to wall positive coverage of the Zune on Engadget..? Are we going to see official Zune sponsorship when it actually ships? "Just beacuse it's taller, doesn't mean it's larger" No? So what does it take to be counted as larger..? Why not try to justify it being taller because it has the 'big' screen..?
IPOD fanboys, cut Engadget some slack. Engadget needs to give the zune a good review, or MS won't give them any more hardware to review ;)
I love to here those defending the bulk of a device by claiming it feels good in their hands and pockets. With having to carry so much essential stuff already, why oh why would you want more bulk to carry?
And I have an iPod and I do not listen to FM radio in my car. Does that still mean I am jealous because my iPod don't have FM radio? Get real, if I wanted FM with the constant annoying commercials and the repeated playlist all day long, I would not buy the iPod.
WHAT MORE BULK? Jesus christ its like 2mm thicker....
and im so sick of people saying "the ipod is better"
Really why? tell me 1 feature the ipod has that the zune doesnt? Because im sure people that arent apple fanboys could list quite a few features and advantages that the zune has that the ipod doesnt...
When 2 devices are priced the same it should come down to a feature by feature comparison anything else and your just a FANBOY
"tell me 1 feature the ipod has that the zune doesnt?"
A real scroll wheel?
Whats even more funny is the device is thinner (albeit by a tehnth of an inch probably) than the creative, yet fanboys keep calling the zune fat and not the creative... isnt that funny.
So people ask why the Zune doesn't look as sexy and slim as the iPod? WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU WANT IT TO LOOK THE SAME!? It's DIFFERENT! Macs are the most ironic pieces of hardware on the market: be different, but all of our products look the same.
If it was the same dimensions as the iPod, everyone would say "It's just copying the iPod, those M$ greedy bastards." So it's a "little" thicker. Where does everyone's iPod go? in a baggy place or in a pouch on your waist, so this tenths of an inch don't make a diddly of a difference. The Zune's a little bigger, plays more file types, and attempts to bring users together. An A for effort for a company known for screwing the user.
I'm opting for a Zen Vision, only because it does what I want it to do: plays different file types, has a longer battery life, and looks different. Every iPod owner is scared that if the Zune because the new culture icon every accessory manufacturer will flock to it and the iPod will become what the Mac is: a shiny trinket with potential that is hindered by the company that wants to keep it's tech prorietory.
@ Cris
When 2 cars are priced the same, do you based your buying decision on feature for feature comparison, or does other factors come into play. Like say looks, feel, comfort etc. This may be subjective but when I am buying a DAP, besides the feature comparison, I am comparing looks, the feel, the size, the ease of use etc. And now that MS has joined the 'Closed' club, which DAP is the least restrictive.
Is anyone else noticing engadget's curious uber-coverage (and uber-positive coverage) of the Zune? In a very, very, large universe of upcoming and existing Mp3 players, I'm surprised that one player would get the kind of coverage that engadget is giving this.
I wonder what financial relationship exists between Engadget (one of the world's leading technology websites) and Microsoft (one of the world's leading computer companies, desperately wanting to break into this lucrative market).
I took the liberty of e-mailing this very question to Engadget. Unfortunately, I didn't make a copy of the message, so I can't show everyone, but I hope to see it in the response (if they send one).
I'll keep everyone posted,
-Simon
yeah because the iPods didn't get dozens of posts whenever they came out.(the iPod video, nano, shuffle)
Oh wait! I got it! Apple must be paying Engadget to write positive articles about the iPod! couldn't possibly be that it was a good product!
Have you ever considered the fact that maybe the Zune is a good player? stop being a fanboy. If you don't like the Zune, so what stick with the iPod, or zen, or sansa, etc.
Same goes for any other fanboys who like bashing the iPod. they are both great products.
Got a blazing fast, and unequivocal response from Peter Rojas, an Editor at Engadget. He stated the following:
"We do NOT sell our editorial. Period. We are, however, a blog, and as such we do freely offer our opinions, both good and bad, about the products
we're writing about."
Re: How products come to be featured in the Engadget blog:
"Only on the basis of whether we think it's interesting or not. Companies have ZERO influence over ANY editorial decision."
---------
So there you have it. Though I still can't see why the Zune is getting as much attention as it is, it's good to know that Engadget's motives aren't coming from the cash register.
Thanks Peter!
-Simon
Woody56292,
While I'm quite certain that your own words will say all they need to about your intellectual pedigree, I will add a few salient points to make this completely clear.
Lets start with your words:
yeah because the iPods didn't get dozens of posts whenever they came out.(the iPod video, nano, shuffle)
Oh wait! I got it! Apple must be paying Engadget to write positive articles about the iPod! couldn't possibly be that it was a good product!
Have you ever considered the fact that maybe the Zune is a good player? stop being a fanboy. If you don't like the Zune, so what stick with the iPod, or zen, or sansa, etc.
Same goes for any other fanboys who like bashing the iPod. they are both great products.
My issue was not with iPod's, Zune's, or any other particular brand of player, however much you might wish to reduce this to another mindless discussion about brand loyalties and which product is the best.
Instead, it is an effort to become aware of the way in which products come to be featured on influential blogs such as these, and to discover what relationships exist, if any, between companies that manufacture products, and sites that review and/or discuss them.
I could just as easily have asked the same about the iPod, but did not. The Zune struck me as particularly undeserving of the kind of attention it was getting, though by no means is Apple exempt from the same phenomenon. Steve Jobs' almost magical ability to reduce what is supposed to be a critical press to a group of cheerleaders is certainly deserving of some criticism. But that story has been told and is well known by now. I have resigned myself to the fact that I won't be seeing much critical coverage of Apple's products, nor of the endless stream of techno-gadgetry discussion that revolves around questions only in terms of to buy or not to buy.
In the case of the Zune, it's an interesting example of a very powerful company that wants desperately to crack into a very lucrative market, and has all kinds of resources to help it do so. I wondered what Engadget's part might have been in this. I was encouraged to hear - and I dutifully noted - that money had no direct part to play in the amount of coverage nor the favourable/unfavourable views of editors.
Of course the advertising that supports sites like this leave aside larger and more important questions about the realm of possibility of what can be said about consumer products like this; its tough to attract advertisers that will support critical discussion of the very products they pay not to have shoppers engage in. As long as its framed in your familiar language of choosing between products rather than asking if we need them, what the consequences/interests are, etc., then the happy hum of advertisers and their ilk continue. Give yourself a pat on the back for that.
If you dare, try to consider these products outside of the consumerist rhetoric being spewed forth and think critically. Encourage sites like these to be a site of critical, enlightened discussion instead of a mouthpiece for industry via your comments. Theres a real idea.
-Simon
will the zune play .m4a files? thats a BIG decision mark in me deciding over zune or ipod.
This doesn't only apply to .mp3 players, but why do people think more features = better? A device that does a million things is useless if it does none of them well. When I buy an .mp3 player I want to buy the best .mp3 player available, screw all the other stuff. At the moment I am in the market for a .mp3 player and will be looking at the zune when it comes out. However, the ipod is a sleek, simple and intuitive device that does what it is made for almost flawlessly. The zune better be ready to impress if microsoft wants my money.
Ok, I just want to put some grounds under the discussion about dimensions.
I just taken the official measures of the two babies:
ZUNE: 4.4 in. x 2.4 in. x 0.6 in. (from Zune.net)
IPOD 30 GB (to not be confused with the 80GB one): # Height: 4.1 in. x 2.4 in. x 0.43 in. (from Apple.com)
Let's do some maths:
iPod volume: 4.2312
Zune volume: 6.33
% increase: +49.7 %
In other words: there is a whopping 50% more volume in a Zune. The space taken by 3 iPod is the same taken by 2 Zune.
To people that don't think this is an issue: think twice. Zune have some features, like the screen and the require-a-bigger-battery wifi, that can increase size and indeed those features increase the final size. It's a trade-off.
You can't argue the Zune has more feature, doesn't matter the size.
In this field, wearable consumer electronics, size matter. A lot.
Apple has an history in taking the size down.
A hint to this: the Zune is only marginally heavier than the iPod, meaning that the iPod is phisically more dense.
All this without taking into account the rounded shape of the iPod: that shape is aimed to reduce the clunkiness, to make the iPod look slimmer than another device with the same dimension, let alone one 50% bigger.
ha ha! you are comparing first generation ipods to the current ipods. Now compare the current ipod to zune, see which player has more features. Got it?? A microsoft fanboy? I mentioned how thickness is better, now I'm automatically a fanboy?? Perhaps, you should go back to the players displayed in the picture and see which one is the thickest. Creative ZVM or zune??
you said " Did you also notice the new Zen Vision M looks somewhat like the iPods, maybe you do want to show it off to your gay friends, hey look at me I have a generic iPod look-alike "
True, zvm from a distance may look like ipod, that's because they have the same dimensions( except for the thickness ) same screen size ,(2.5 inches) which is pretty much the standard lcd size for most gadgets right now ( digital cameras, digital camcorders ).Other than that, they are totally different. But you should know the history between creative and apple which you'll find interesting before you accuse creative of being a copycat.
http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/2006/05/creative-officially-sues-apple.php
Truth hurts , doesn't it?
"First of all, if Apple could fit an fm receiver inside a small remote control, there is no technical reason why they could not integrate it to the iPod."
No technical reason huh?? Then explain it to me why apple had to have it sold separately.
"Second, You make it sound like it's a bad thing to have a slim look. until now, people have always wanted smaller and smaller devices, why would it change with the Zune?"
I'm not saying slim is a bad thing, I just prefer it a little bit thicker, but if you prefer it that way, then stick with it. You are saying people have always wanted smaller and smaller devices. Then prove to me by getting yourself the creative zen v plus and see if you enjoy its very tiny size. My guess is, you wont get it cos it doesnt have apple written over it. Also early on, a rumour spread out that about the ipod video http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/10/so-this-is-the-video-ipod-eh/ .
That thing is way huge doesn't it? But apple fanboys like you went crazy about it and all of the sudden, size was not an issue.
Yes, ipod video quality is mediocre compared to creatives zvm. We are not comparing plasma tv here, which you claim you own. zvm has 262,000 colors to the iPod's mediocre 65,000. I think it's quite clear now, that im more a zvm fan here than a zune fan, so don't get confused. I mentioned earlier that i was getting myself a zvm, take that as a hint.
Which one would u choose? A ferrari which looks great from the outside but an interior with no stereo, no leather seats, no airconditioning, no airbags. Or a Porsche 911 with stereo, leather seats, airconditioning, airbags. I would chose the porsche 911 with all the interior stuff in it, sure porsche 911 may not be as great looking compared to the ferrari, but its not an ugly looking car either, plus it has all the interior that is essential for every car owner. Still interested in the Great looking ferrari with no interior? Get the metaphor here?
It's all about the brand name , isn't it? It doesn't matter what's inside, as long as it has the apple logo. Look who's the fanboy now? ha ha.
podcast support, audio book support w/ chapters, calander/phonebook/notes
tones of support from 3rd party like NY subway maps, Wikipedia notes etc
I still want one. that hasn't changed. I want to be part of the social too!
Ok, however, an iPod does not look like NOMAD Jukebox, while the new Zen Vision M does somewhat look like an iPod.
Zune = nerd's iPod
wow fanboys vs fanboys dam yall annoying as hell cause when yall post something about microsoft the apple fanboys come talk shit and when yall post something about apple they microsoft fanboys come talk shit yall just annoying i go with what works for me! big grown ass people yall acting like they paying yall.ok now for the post i think its big but for what you getting the size is str8 but i complain how big my ipod video is already so i will stick wity my ipod video for now until the next generation of ipod and zune then i decide.
"Look who's the fanboy now? ha ha." Judging by your behavior, it's you, ha ha indeed.
You got you metaphor almost right, you just forgot to inform yourself. Both Ferraris and Porsches look good from the outside and are sold with airbags, airconditioning, stereo, etc... as both Zens and iPods play music and videos, can be used to watch slideshows on TV, etc... Then each one also has exclusive features, which make them different, therefore aimed at a different target markets.
However, as much as you seem to love the Zen, it doesn't make the iPod featureless, as you presented it.
And I'm sure some people buy the iPod just because its popular, but the majority buys it to listen to their music.
You want to buy a Porsche, go with it, it's a very good choice. But don't go telling everyone that Ferraris suck just to justify your choice.
"Really why? tell me 1 feature the ipod has that the zune doesnt? "
1. Contacts
2. Calendar
3. Notes
4. Games
5. On the Go Playlists
6. Gapless Playback
7. More Audio Formats (AAC, mp3, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV vs. .wma, .mp3, AAC)
8. More Video Formats (H.264, .mp4, m4v, .mov vs. .wmv only)
Oops, you only asked for ONE, didn't you?
At least we agreed on one thing,
"And I'm sure some people buy the iPod just because its popular",
regardless of the limited features.
OK, the zune looks like a pretty awesome device that is not big and will give apple a run for its money, and i cant think of anything wrong with it. and stop hating microsoft for being microsoft, jeesh
BTW, I am an apple supporter, have an Ipod 5G, and use an (un bootcamped) White MacBook, which i is awesome for what i need
Zune is definitely a challenge to Apple. Screen size and quality is very important.
no dip the zune is thicker - its got wireless capabilities, larger screen, 30 gigs of hard disk memory, fm tuner capabilities, a/v connection capabilities, a bigger better longer lasting battery, of course it is bigger, and all of that isnt included for the ipod in the player itself, you would have to buy accesories which make the ipod bigger in size too. i think the zune is going to be an ipod killer!! Go Zune
P.S. the commercials are cool especially the one with the two birds.
quit complaining about the size just because its better than the ipod and you know it!!!!!
So what if the zune is thicker!I hate the overall style of ipods,zen's and sansa's!!!The zune is unique and 1/2 an inch on a portable device is a huge difference!!!I used to own a ipod and everything about it sucked and now i have owned the zune for 6 months now and it has never ever frozed!!!Unlike ipods,zen's and sansa's so...i think it is quite obvious that zune is the best!!!Plus ipod has been throuugh many generations and it still has many flaws and the zune is only on there 1st generation and there are hardly any flaws!