The new Zen Touch: 24 hours battery life...

[Drake Tungsten]

Yes, it would.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Yes, it would.

And thus, isn't your single substanial advantage for the iPod blown out of the water? Seems to me I can get a Zen player that can access far more vendors and ones that are cheaper to boot.

So, to recap:

Zen:
Superior sound quality (objective)
Longer battery life (objective)
Less expensive (objective)
Greater access to mp3 vendors (objective)
Larger LCD display (objective)

iPod:
Looks better (subjective)

I'm not seeing where the iPod's advantage lays for an intelligent consumer.

[Drake Tungsten]

And thus, isn't your single substanial advantage for the iPod blown out of the water?

No. Both MP3 players are compatible with different services. The iPod is compatible with the most popular service, however, while the Zen is not, which would seem like a slight advantage to the iPod. The iTMS is arguably the best service out there and it's place atop the market would seem to support that claim.

You're also leaving out size, which is an objective criteria in the iPod's favor.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
No. Both MP3 players are compatible with different services. The iPod is compatible with the most popular service, however, while the Zen is not, which would seem like a slight advantage to the iPod.

Any "slight" advantage is immedialy overpowered by the major advantage of having freedom to choose who your online music vendor is, which you can't do with the iPod.

You're also leaving out size, which is an objective criteria in the iPod's favor.

This is true, but the Zens are hardly huge. If size is a concern, they should go for the "Mini" players with the 4GB microdrives.

[Drake Tungsten]

What if someone cares about both the size of the MP3 player and the amount of storage available? The iPod is a better choice than the Zen in that situation.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Any "slight" advantage is immedialy overpowered by the major advantage of having freedom to choose who your online music vendor is, which you can't do with the iPod.

Indeed! With the iPod you are forced into having only one online music vendor. It would be like being forced to use IE if you bought Windows. It is much better to have a choice of vendor.

[Drake Tungsten]

I don't think the choice is so clear. Ideally, you would have access to all vendors. However, since you can't, do you choose access to the #1 vendor but not others, or access to the others without access to the #1? That's a tough choice...

[Asher]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
What if someone cares about both the size of the MP3 player and the amount of storage available? The iPod is a better choice than the Zen in that situation.

Even in this case, the iPod is not substantially smaller. Further, what good is having > 4GB of storage if your battery dies after 7 hours?

[Imran Siddiqui]

What if someone cares about both the size of the MP3 player and the amount of storage available?

The Zen doesn't look that much bigger than an iPod. As the article posted said slightly bigger and heavier.

[Drake Tungsten]

Even in this case, the iPod is not substantially smaller.

It's still smaller...

Further, what good is having > 4GB of storage if your battery dies after 7 hours?

Own goal.

[Imran Siddiqui]

do you choose access to the #1 vendor but not others, or access to the others without access to the #1?

I'd easily make the choice that provides me with a majority. Other vendors = 65%, so that's the obvious choice.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
I don't think the choice is so clear. Ideally, you would have access to all vendors. However, since you can't, do you choose access to the #1 vendor but not others, or access to the others without access to the #1? That's a tough choice...

Not at all. You're deliberatly ignoring that the iTunes Music Store isn't going to be #1. In one year it went from 90% to 35.7% marketshare.

There is NO advantage to having the iTunes Music Store. It's not cheaper, it doesn't offer any better selection. iTunes Music Store locks you into iTunes and iPod, and the Zen and WMA-based music stores offer choice.

Apple is f*cking themselves over, they're using the same stupid business tactics they used when they lost the lead in desktop PCs, and the same thing is happening again. It's amazing to me they can figure out how to turn a profit, even temporarily.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Apple is f*cking themselves over, they're using the same stupid business tactics they used when they lost the lead in desktop PCs

Yep, it's shocking really. It's like Jobs learned nothing.

[asleepathewheel]

As an owner of a Zen Xtra, I have to give my to creative. One of the best purchases I made (erm rather told my wife to get me for v-day) in the past 6 months. This new one looks awesome, though I wouldn't want to drop down from my 30gb xtra to 20gb. The button control looks like a great improvement, one of my few complaints about the xtra.

[Drake Tungsten]

You're deliberatly ignoring that the iTunes Music Store isn't going to be #1.

That's a BAM. Pardon me for ignoring things that aren't actually true...

There is NO advantage to having the iTunes Music Store.

The iTMS has features unique to it that some people like. Just because you don't see them as an advantage doesn't mean that everyone else feels the same way. This is just another example of you assuming that your opinions are facts.

it doesn't offer any better selection.

That's a matter of opinion. All the services have different selections to choose from. Which is the best is a matter of taste.