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CNET PRIZEFIGHT:

Apple iPod Classic vs Microsoft Zune 80

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Round 5: Wallet factor

All about the green
Microsoft Zune (second generation, 80GB, black)
Microsoft Zune 80

You can cram all the features in the world into a gadget, but if no one can afford it, what does it matter? Pound for pound, which device is the better value?

Player Jasmine Donald Josh Total
Microsoft Zune (second generation, 80GB, black)
Microsoft Zune 80 		5

$250 for 80GB is a great value, especially considering the wealth of features offered by the Zune: FM, Wi-Fi, free etching (limited), large screen. 		4

It's hard not to call the Zune the better value, considering that it costs the same but offers extra big-ticket features such as a larger screen, an FM radio, wireless sync, and subscription music support. It's a great value, but there's more to the iPod than what comes in the box. 		5

I'm going to have to give Microsoft a top score on this one. It's a great player for the money, but what takes it to the next level is the Zune Marketplace, which gives you a pretty stellar collection of all-you-can-eat music for a very reasonable $15 a month. Notably missing are movies and TV shows, but you can't have it all these days. 		14
Apple iPod Classic (80GB, silver)
Apple iPod Classic 		4

At the same price as the Zune, the 80GB Classic is also a good value but not quite so much so, given the comparative lack of features that I desire. 		5

When you buy an iPod, you also buy into the huge marketplace of iPod accessories--everything from iPod-ready car stereos to boom boxes, to voice recorders. These types of accessories just aren't there yet for the Zune, and I have to count that into the equation when I measure the value of buying an iPod. 		4

Apple's hardware has always cost a premium, and considering how many of these things they're selling, you can always hope the price would go down. $249 and $349 gets you a very pocketable player that's got a ton of storage. If you're willing to throw down on the 160GB flavor, you're getting an even better deal per gigabyte. Audiophiles with huge collections of lossless music will want to tread the path of the Apple. 		13

Winner: Microsoft Zune 80

  • Round 1
  • Round 2
  • Round 3
  • Round 4
  • Round 5
  • Microsoft Zune 80
  • X
  • X
  • X
  • X
  • Apple iPod Classic
  • X