Zune vs ipod which is better

Apple claims the iPod touch can play music for up to 40 hours without recharging. Microsoft's Zune HD is rated for 33 hours of music before you'll have to plug it in. The Zune HD comes in three different storage capacities: 16, 32 and 64 gigabytes. The iPod touch has a slightly different lineup with 8, 32 and gigabyte models. It's called the Zune Pass -- you can keep everything you download as long as the Pass is active.

Once you let the Pass lapse, you lose the content you've downloaded. Microsoft also allows you to download and keep 10 songs per month while you have a Zune Pass. Microsoft's Zune holds its own in the media-player world. But iPod is the product of Apple's single-minded dedication, and it shows. It looks sleeker, it's lighter, slimmer and smaller. The iPod is taller and wider than the Zune HD but it's more than 1. Apple's FairPlay DRM scheme, while far from perfect and arguably not all that fair, is play-oriented, not time-oriented, which most people see as a more logical way to track and limit usage.

Both the Zune HD store and iTunes allow users to purchase television shows, movies and music videos in addition to music. You can subscribe to podcasts using either store. It's a feature not found on the iPod, but will have limited use unless your friends all buy Zunes. You need an all-you-can-eat subscription service: Zune. You want contacts, calendar, notes, stopwatch, and iPod Games: iPod. Xbox owners who purchase music and want streaming: Zune. Xbox owners who purchase music and don't want streaming: iPod.

For most people, we're going to recommend you get an iPod. Will smaller, flash memory-based Zunes -or Zunes with larger storage capacity emerge any time soon?

Only Microsoft knows. For now, though, the questions are: Should you buy a Zune? Should you switch from an iPod? I've been testing a couple of Zunes along with the online Zune Marketplace, Microsoft's answer to Apple's iTunes music and video store. Apple iPod classic.

Scroll down for more details. Which are the most popular comparisons? Price comparison. Design 1. We consider a thinner chassis better because it makes the product more compact and portable. Thinness is a feature highlighted by many manufacturers of mobile devices, but it is essential for a wide range of products.

Uses LED backlighting, resulting in better image quality, more vibrant colors and richer blacks. Resolution is an essential indicator of a screen's image quality, representing the maximum amount of pixels that can be shown on the screen.