Zune 120 vs. iPod Classic

[DaveLager]

If you're in the market for an MP3 player with lots of storage space you have two practical options: the impressive and elegant Zune by Microsoft or the venerable but still chic iPod classic by Apple.

Zune 120 vs. iPod classic? They both serve their main and most important purpose of letting you listen to music anywhere very well. Sporting great sound quality when heard through high quality headphones, both units allow you to have plenty of music to listen to do to the impressive 120GB storage capacity that both players feature. You can, of course, use your preexisting collection of music to fill those hard drives. However, both Microsoft and Apple offer services with which you can acquire new music. Zune offers the very flexible Zune Pass. Essentially a music rental service, for a $14.99 monthly fee Zune Pass gives you access to an enormous selection of music. Apple does not offer a subscription service; however, Apple's iTunes allows you to purchase individual songs or entire albums for use on your iPod or elsewhere.

You can also expect both units to last about a day on a single charge under realistic use; the Zune is rated for up to thirty hours of battery life and the iPod is rated for up to thirty-six hours of battery life. If, however, you strive to plug in your battery charger as infrequently as possible then long battery life is likely of utmost importance to you and the iPod, with six more hours than the Zune, is the clear winner. For those who value eye candy, the Zune features a larger (by 0.7") screen than the iPod; however, they are both the same resolution (320x240 pixels) so the larger screen real estate may come at the expense of some sharpness. Both units have very intuitive and refined interfaces. The iPod has the classic click wheel and the Zune has a touch pad in a squircle shape. After familiarizing yourself with either method of navigation, you'll be flying around your music collection with ease.

Given their similar price and overall excellence for general music listening, the choice between a Zune and an iPod will often fall along party lines. Those who are Apple loyalists may decide to stick with Apple and those who are not could go for either side. In the end, that's not a bad way to decide given the high quality of both the Zune and the iPod classic.

Once you've decided which model to get, you can find the Zune 120 at amazon.com and the iPod classic at Amazon.com for just about $220 each.