# iPod or Zune? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-or-zune/379924 "2006-11-10T20:47:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-or-zune/379924/21 "2006-11-14T14:34:35Z")
\*he only moving **part** s are the clip and the slide switch. _Believe it or not, I did preview that!_ ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-or-zune/379924/22 "2006-11-14T15:51:23Z")
Just found [an article on CNN](http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/fortune/zune/index.html) that compares the two fairly. ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-or-zune/379924/23 "2006-11-14T16:53:56Z")
[QUOTE=RumMunkey] … As far a fragility goes, you can punt the Shuffle 30 yards and I’m sure it’ll work just fine when you pick it up. It so small it would take a large amount of pressure to do any damage beyond aesthetic, and the only moving s are the clip and the slide switch. … [/QUOTE] At [Ars Technica](http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/nano.ars/3), they actually drove over a Nano with a car and it continued to play music. (YMMV) I’ve got an older 30 GB iPod, and I love it – when they can be cybernetically implanted, I’ll be first in line to get one. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-or-zune/379924/24 "2006-11-14T18:19:23Z")
[QUOTE=RumMunkey] Just found [an article on CNN](http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/fortune/zune/index.html) that compares the two fairly. [/QUOTE] Although the author either has an older iPod or doesn’t know much about how they work. Example: [QUOTE=The CNN Article] For those who have long lists of albums or artists, the Zune aids in rapid scrolling by showing a large letter of the alphabet, letting you know, for example, that you’ve reached the R section. [/QUOTE] The newer iPods do this very nicely. I can drill through my list of 4,000 songs by just scrolling quickly until it switches to the “big first letter” mode, get to the first letter I want, and then find the song. If the 2nd letter is late in the alphabet, I go to the next letter and scroll backwards (e.g., to find “My Sharona,” I go to N and back a dozen songs). Also, like many members of the media, he assumes that the only sources for iPod music are the Apple iTunes Music Store and your own purchased CDs, when there are actually hundreds or thousands of sources. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-or-zune/379924/25 "2006-11-14T18:31:30Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] Although the author either has an older iPod or doesn’t know much about how they work. Example: The newer iPods do this very nicely. I can drill through my list of 4,000 songs by just scrolling quickly until it switches to the “big first letter” mode, get to the first letter I want, and then find the song. If the 2nd letter is late in the alphabet, I go to the next letter and scroll backwards (e.g., to find “My Sharona,” I go to N and back a dozen songs). [/QUOTE] iPods have always done this, as far as I know. It’s just that with the latest firmware upgrade, it actually shows you the letter now. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-or-zune/379924/26 "2006-11-14T20:41:09Z")
[QUOTE=RumMunkey] That’s only true for songs _purchased_ from the iTunes Music Store. If you choose to make your imported music in that format, there are no copy restrictions. [/QUOTE] And there’s even an easy way around the ones purchased from the ITMS. Just burn them to CD, then re-rip them. You’ll lose a tiny bit of sound quality (most non-audiophiles won’t even notice) but you can then do whatever you want with them. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-or-zune/379924/27 "2006-11-14T20:51:41Z")
[QUOTE=winterhawk11] And there’s even an easy way around the ones purchased from the ITMS. Just burn them to CD, then re-rip them. You’ll lose a tiny bit of sound quality (most non-audiophiles won’t even notice) but you can then do whatever you want with them. [/QUOTE] AND you just made a backup of your music. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-or-zune/379924/28 "2006-11-14T23:48:22Z")
I’m going to get a good friend of mine a 2 GB Sansa, and with the help of another friend borrow friend #1’s Bon Jovi collection and load it on the Sansa for her. The Sansa runs on AAA battery and looks simple [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipod-or-zune/379924.md?page=1)