In this corner... weighing in at 80 GB...

February 25, 2008 12:47 PM

I just won a brand new Zune 80. I have a 4th Generation iPod. What should I do?

I won a brand new 80 GB Zune in a drawing today, which I'm pretty excited about. I currently use a 4th Generation iPod (about a year old, no color screen), which seems unlikely to get me any significant cash in return. It looks like the Zune could net me 250-300 dollars if I decided to sell it. Seemingly, these are my options:

- Keep both, use the Zune primarily, and have two options on long trips
- Sell the Zune and buy an iPod Classic for 250 bucks
- Sell the Zune, pocket the cash, and use the iPod I have currently

Things to consider:

- I'm very particular about my music library. I do not use star ratings, because I think they are silly, but I reference play counts as a measure of how good a song is. As a result, I would like to be able to sync play counts back and forth between my PC and my portable media player. I know iTunes does this and I'd imagine Windows Media Player would (but don't know for sure). If anyone knows about this specifically, I'd love to hear about it.
- I am not afraid to move away from iTunes. It can be a bit of a memory hog at times, and I was once very happy with Windows Media Player (in the WMP9 days before I got my iPod). I have just a handful of iTunes store songs, which I could simply burn to a CD and rip to DRM-free MP3s.

Any feedback about your experiences with the Zune is appreciated. Software, WiFi, battery life, anything else, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

posted by kjackelen05 to technology (29 comments total)

Sell it and stay with the iPod. The Zune software is abysmal.
posted by mphuie at 12:52 PM on February 25, 2008

There's only one easy solution I can see: I will help you to get rid of your ipod to end this issue. You can send it to me by mail. I'll even pay for shipping.

Seriously, if you like both devices, then consider the use of itunes vs. Wm player. You may want to give them both a try for a while and then decide.
posted by ddaavviidd at 12:55 PM on February 25, 2008

[snark]There's this website called eBay...[/snark] Seriously, the Zune is a joke. Sell it and use the cash toward a newer iPod, if you desire, or an iTunes card for some music or movies. Nothing I've read about the Zune, even from places that are usually very MS friendly, has anything nice to say.
posted by littlerobothead at 1:02 PM on February 25, 2008

The newer Zunes include a new, improved software interface. You should probably look up some reviews online before writing it off. The software does keep track of play counts, according to my research. Unfortunately, the Zune software is incapable of smart playlists, which ruled it out for me.

On the other hand, the Zune has some good things going for it. Glass screen, wireless syncing, and a sweet new interface would make me seriously consider it.
posted by roomwithaview at 1:02 PM on February 25, 2008

You must live in Low Supply, High Demand Zune World. They're $249 new, and a store would let me take it back, replace it if it doesn't work, etc., so I'm not sure who's going to give you $300 for yours, if that's your primary consideration....Otherwise, why not try it and keep it if you like it?
posted by sageleaf at 1:08 PM on February 25, 2008

Think of it this way: You won $250, not a Zune.

Sell the Zune, continue using the 1-year-old iPod that was totally awesome and served your needs last week. You don't need a new iPod, yours works fine. You have the music on it, and you can't get a lot for the used one.

Spend the $250 on something more fun than a marginal upgrade to your iPod, or do the responsible thing and save the money. If you're not into "responsible", $250 will go a long way toward something like a Wii or any number of things that are cooler than a new iPod.

I love my iPod dearly, and would buy a new (well, refurbished maybe) one if it was lost, but until that day, my 3rd generation iPod (second battery) continues to do everything I'd ask of a new iPod.
posted by explosion at 1:20 PM on February 25, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

I agree with explosion: it would almost be a waste to keep the zune, if you could sell if for over $200, especially if your iPod is only a year old. Unless the zune has features you really really like, or you want a nifty and expensive 80 GB external hard drive, I wouldn't even take it out of the package.
posted by farishta at 1:27 PM on February 25, 2008

The Zune does have the subscription feature, which I think is like $15 a month and you can download anything you want. The music stops playing if you stop paying your subscription fee, but if you habitually spend at least that much buying new music every month, it might be nice. It has tempted me.
posted by kindall at 1:42 PM on February 25, 2008

Sell the Zune. Take the money you get and spend it on something you otherwise wouldn't. Treat yourself to something fun. I hate to say this, but I don't think $250 resale is realistic. The 80 gig version sells for $249.99 at Best Buy and Target, and people tend to prefer buying from a store in case there's a problem.

"I do not use star ratings, because I think they are silly"

Here's a great iTunes tip: the iTunes song ratings are really powerful when combined with other tags. It's not about saying "Yay! I give this song 5 stars!" It's more about creating a smart playlist that automatically combines attributes. For example, I use the grouping field to tag acoustic songs. If I want mood music for a date, I create a smart playlist that plays any acoustic song rated 3 stars or higher. Since the songs are already tagged and starred, I don't have to waste time finding specific songs to play. Or, if I'm in the mood for a specific artist that I've got a ton of, I make a smart playlist of anything by Wilco that I've given at least 2 stars. I instantly get a playlist of about 40 songs (HA! A good guess on my part... I just checked and it's actually 41 songs)
posted by 2oh1 at 1:42 PM on February 25, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

My general recommendation is to use the ipod if you have a mac, and the zune if you're a pc kind of person. I know they'll work across platforms, but it's more of a "having things work as you've come to expect them to" kind of thing.

Or sell it and take the free $250.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 1:59 PM on February 25, 2008

The Zune is a joke. Think about the fact that it might not be around that much longer, and that Microsoft tends to switch its software and DRM schemes around relatively often. The iPod, on the other hand, is sticking around as a platform for some time.

Sell the Zune and get yourself something nice, or just save the money for a rainy day.
posted by lackutrol at 2:05 PM on February 25, 2008

Keep the Zune and use the iPod as a back up hard drive. Honestly people will tell you that a Zune is crap but the player it self is really good the software for the PC is crap. The Zune has wireless syncing which is really good and they are soon adding games to the Zune which you can play multi-player with different people. Also there is a way to use the Zune with windows media player you have to use a program called zAlternator it takes some getting used to but its pretty nice (here is a direct download). If you need any help with it feel free to send me an email.
posted by lilkeith07 at 2:06 PM on February 25, 2008

Option 4 - Sell the Zune. Sell the ipod. Get a new iPod with video.
posted by filmgeek at 2:11 PM on February 25, 2008

Chuck the Zune.
posted by Max Power at 2:19 PM on February 25, 2008

Whatever you do, dump iTunes and go to MediaMonkey. I'd rather be a Zune monkey than a iPod sheep myself.

Give whichever one you like least to a local Non Profit that works with the visually impaired, children, or whatever population you'd like to pick. Feel warm and fuzzy that someone will get some real use out of it, and go on about your day.

Or, get rid of both and get a Vision:M or some other Creative product. Just say no to Apple.
posted by TomMelee at 2:25 PM on February 25, 2008

Give the Zune to somebody as a gift, or donate it to charity. Hey, it's found money, right?
posted by box at 2:28 PM on February 25, 2008

I don't know if any of the people saying how the Zune is crap have actually used it, but here you have a free chance to try it out and see if you like it for yourself, or not. I know people who really like the Zune, and have been quite happy with its interface.

Why not try using it for a week or so?

If you hate it, you can sell it as used for a week. Maybe you'll get a little less for it, but it's not like you paid for it to begin with.
posted by that girl at 2:32 PM on February 25, 2008

You won the Zune. Great! Open it up and play with it. If you like it, keep it and decide the fate of your old iPod. if not, sell it for $100 or keep it as an external hard drive. As people have mentioned, it has a $250 new price tag. You'll be lucky to get that even with it new in box. You aren't losing much resale value by using it as it doesn't have much to begin with.

Lots hate goin' both ways here in this thread. People sure are passionate about things that don't matter.
posted by chairface at 2:32 PM on February 25, 2008

I'd rather be a Zune monkey than a iPod sheep myself.

Unless you're 12 ignore this advice. Use the zune for a little while, pick the one you want to use, and sell the other. That's not a sheep. Who gives a fuck what other people (like mr. melee) think of you.
posted by gtr at 2:35 PM on February 25, 2008

[please do NOT turn this into an opportunity for "your favorite OS sucks" comments, metatalk is waiting for you if you just can't keep your snarky remarks to yourself]
posted by jessamyn at 2:55 PM on February 25, 2008

You'll love the big color screen, compared to your B&W 4th gen. Personally, I *prefer* the Zune to the iPod.

I've owned my share of MP3 players over the years, including 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-gen iPods. When my 60GB iPod Photo started acting up, I replaced it with a 1st-gen 30GB Zune (since the Zune was on sale for a C-note).

I figured the worst that could happen is that I'd be out $100. Plus, every piece of Microsoft hardware I've seen (except the Xbox360) has been incredibly solid and reliable.

I wish I'd switched earlier. The only things I prefer on the iPod is smart playlists, and the huge-by-comparison selection of accessories.

You mention play count. I don't know how important the social-networking aspect of the Zune is for you, but you have the option to let the Zune update your online profile when you sync your device. You (or others) can view your most recent plays and favorites.

For example, HERE is my Zune profile. (All, feel free to bash my taste in music, if it makes you feel any better!)

Give the Zune a try; I think you'll like it!
posted by Perplexer at 3:42 PM on February 25, 2008

The real choice here comes down one easy question: how important is video (and pictures)?

Upgrading from the 4th Gen iPod to the Classic for the sake of the latter's small color screen doesn't make any sense if you've got a Zune. The Zune's screen is pretty good and much bigger; it's going to be significantly better video experience than the Classic.

If video isn't important then stick with your current iPod and sell the Zune.

If video is important and the iPod brand is important sell the Zune and the 4th Gen and get a Touch.
posted by 6550 at 4:13 PM on February 25, 2008

Sell it. Sell it before it breaks your heart.
posted by rokusan at 5:47 PM on February 25, 2008

A request to those simply saying "Chuck the Zune." or "Sell it before it breaks your heart.": Please provide some sort of rationale for these suggestions. You can't possibly believe I'll sell this thing just because you said so. I want to learn more about the similarities and differences between the two devices and the strengths and weaknesses of each. Thank you.
posted by kjackelen05 at 5:50 PM on February 25, 2008

Just a note regarding the Zune and its price:

Returning consumer electronics is not particularly hard. Bring the Zune to Target, Best Buy, or Wal-Mart and explain that someone gave it as a gift, but you don't want it, or already have a player. They'll give you credit rather than cash, but you can spend that credit on whatever you want, or sell the credit on eBay for a minimal loss.

Try your hardest to think about this rationally: If someone handed you $250 cash, would you go out buying a Zune or a new iPod? You're a return line away from $250 cash, there's no real reason to pick up a new player when your old one works great and does it for you.
posted by explosion at 5:58 PM on February 25, 2008

Personally, I *prefer* the Zune to the iPod.

So do I. I'm a Windows user, and I find the software to be a lot better than iTunes, and I use wireless sync all the time. Just check out a feature list, maybe download the software, and decide whether you want to try it out. If you're underwhelmed by the software or features, keep it NIB and flip it somehow.
posted by Kwantsar at 6:27 PM on February 25, 2008

As I already mentioned I think the importance of video is the key factor in your decision, or at least should be. If you are unwilling to make a decision based on that, try this in-depth AnandTech comparison (iPod classic and touch and Zune).

You can't possibly believe I'll sell this thing just because you said so. I want to learn more about the similarities and differences between the two devices and the strengths and weaknesses of each.

A google search for ipod vs zune or ipod zune comparison turns up a lot of information along the lines you're requesting, if you feel the answers here are unsatisfactory.
posted by 6550 at 6:29 PM on February 25, 2008

I like my Zune. I suggest you try the Zune for a while, see if you like it enough to keep it, otherwise sell it. (You can still use iTunes and iTMS and just use the Zune sotware for syncing.)
posted by dzot at 8:19 PM on February 25, 2008

I use a Zune 30 (1st Gen) and an Ipod Touch (16gb) and for the last 3 months the Zune has been my constant companion rather than the Ipod - and here's why:

The new Zune client software is excellent, much better than iTunes, despite the one drawback of smart playlists. It is less of a memory hog, looks slick and plays back nicely when on the desktop, it has two other things missing for me - a really good minimised mode, and the ability to scrobble through the last.fm client (although I can find workarounds for this).

My zune syncs wirelessly, which is awesome - and the player is completely reliable.

My ipod touch is OK for looking at the web (but really - why do I want a tiny screen for that) and looks very cool, but doesn't feel as solid in terms of operation as my iPod.

YMMV of course - but I'd try the Zune, you'd be surprised.
posted by mattr at 8:45 AM on February 26, 2008