Yes, it’s true that we were a part of the collective yawn last year when the Microsoft Zune tried to muscle in on the Apple iPod. But now they’re back with a new iteration, the second generation Zune 80 GB, and while Steve Jobs still doesn’t have TOO much to worry about, at least now there’s some actual competition in the marketplace.
What’s good? Well, they’ve cleaned up the controls significantly. The new Zune Pad is a good one-touch control, and the interface is much smoother than before. The two big advantages the Zune has over the iPod are Bluetooth synching and FM Radio. If you still like listening to five minutes of music separated by two minutes of brainless DJ and fifteen minutes of commercials, the Zune’s still got you covered... not a lot of new here. The updated synching feature, however, is pretty damn cool. Zune to Zune wireless file sharing (take that, RIAA) returns, but now your playlist automatically updates when you get in range of your library-holding, WiFi-enabled desktop without any need to dock. You can even narrow it down to specific artists you want to update, and leave the rest out. It’s a slick little one-up on the Zune vs. iPod battle royale, and we'll be very surprised if it goes unanswered for long.
There’s a bigger color selection in Zunes, too, if that’s as important to you as it should be. It tickles us how the brown Zune 30 GB is outselling the more spiffy 16GB iPod Touch at the moment (the $266 differnce might have something to do with it). The prices are comparable to their corresponding iPods, and on our side, that means the SquareTrade Zune warranty is on par with the SquareTrade iPod warranty, right down to the optional Accidental Damage Protection for new-condition players.
It has to be said that Apple iTunes still beats the tar out of Zune Marketplace from the selection (no TV for the Z) to interface (no bookmarking) to the name (“marketplace” is so 90’s). That won’t stop anybody who goes mainly from their own catalog of ripped CDs, but it might if you’re looking forward to surfing the internets and downloading songs direct to your mp3 player. Which is coming soon.
Honestly, if this was the Zune that came out last year, it would’ve been on equal footing with the iPod. As-is it does what an mp3 player should, but not what an iPod can. Sorry, Mr. Bill, but you’ll just have to settle for owning the home computer market
Microsoft Zune warranty, zune insurance, Apple ipod warranty, ipod insurance
