Two of the most famous Portable Media Players in the History (iPod and Zune) were at war when the dramatic relationship of Youth and iPod by Apple was flabbergasted by the influx of Zune released by Microsoft. It was a turning point for Media Player owners, as iPod has already established Look-I-Am-Cool-I-Got-iPod status. Zune’s First Generation models happened to slump in front of iPod’s Fifth Generation, and all the high hopes of Anti iPod People were vanished.  

With passage of time Portable Media Players are becoming necessity than novelty. As Mobile Phones nowadays provides the basic facilities of media players, yet companies like Apple, Sony and now Microsoft has won their places into the hearts of people as some of the Best trend setting gadget connoisseurs. These Gadgets are not only used as Media players but symbolize a Cool style of living. Two infamous rivals, iPod and Zune have always held a substantial position. And though both have there own positive and negative aspects, they have been leader of the Market since their appearance.    

I have always been a fan of iPod’s looks which lacks badly in Zune. The iTunes provides Podcasts which you can sync to iPod, and even share your own with the world. Podcasts are audios and videos released by People from all over the world to share with iPod owners. iPod’s support to copy righted music, which is often considered a hindrance in sharing music, has always been controversial. Though prices of iPods are quite higher than any other portable media player available in the market, Apple provides a range of models that fits for your pocket. One of the greatest features which I found first time in a gadget like this is touch screen. iPod Touch are totally unique in their design and usage. A person like me, for whom looks matter a lot; it is the perfect pie. With a whopping 3 inches screen in iPod Touch one can enjoy movies and Podcasts with an ease. Built-in Safari Browser lets the user surf through internet by using Wireless connectivity (wifi) and is specially designed to support the YouTube videos.  Even if one goes for previous versions like iPod Classics, its touch Wheel is quite smooth and designed in such a way that one can roam around in playlists by using just one thumb.

On the other side, Zune came with capability of sharing music and images. Microsoft introduced touch wheel in Zune’s new versions (second generation), however it still lacks the style and elegancy which iPod possesses. Both versions of Zune have a screen larger than iPod’s till Generation fifth, yet it looks copy of iPod Classic. Cost effective Zune is, as it provides more storage space in less price. A big score it makes is by large screen display and colorful User Interface and place where it beats every audio/video gadget is that it can be connected to Xbox. Even If one wants to buy music online it takes only $14.99 to buy unlimited music for a month, where as it is a normal cost for an album if one buys it through iTunes to sync in iPod.

These two moved to a generic dimension by releasing new versions of both gadgets. Being music junky, I tried both of the Players and was confused to draw a conclusion for which one is the best. Zune, which brought innovation by providing wireless connectivity between Zune-s and media sharing, was adopted by iPod’s new versions.  iPod has always been in limelight because of it’s touch wheel, which Zune implemented in its second generation models.

Zune yet lacks many of the charms which iPod brings bundled with itself. Third party hardware gadgets like Docks to attach iPod with Car and Home theatre or Video glasses (which we used to dream about back in 90’s) are common for iPod. Zune yet hasn’t come out with a touch screen, and I personally found that Zune has more hanging problem than iPod. No matter how hard Microsoft is trying, one thing is for sure, Apple got style. It took time for iPod to get mature and become a part of today’s Youth’s life, and Zune is moving fast to reach on that. But yet it takes few more versions to outshine iPod. War for winning the market between Apple and Microsoft has always been interesting. This at least promises that in near future we will have some thing genuinely innovative from both sides. 

(Article with certain variations from Published version in The Youth Magazine)