iPod Classic vs. Zune

[ music ] ^m00:00:06 >> What's up prize fight fans? I'm Brian Tong and we've got a battle where the emotions fuel the fire. It's a prize fight punch out between Apple's 120 gig iPod Classic and Microsoft's 120 gig Zune. Our judges for this fight are senior editor Donald Bell, senior associate editor Jasmine France, and myself. Now we'll take the average of all 3 judges' scores for each round using decimals rounded to the nearest tenth, and the final prize fight score will be an average of all the rounds. We're going 5 strong; round 1 is the sexy, which player's good on the ice? Apple's Classic is no longer the sexiest girl at the party, but it's brushed metal and iconic design is, well, still classy. The Zune's not as sexy, but calling it ugly is a little exaggerated and it's screen is almost double the size. The Classic gets a 3 point 7 and the Zune gets a 3 point 3. Next round: navigation. The iPod click wheel and menu is one of the slickest interfaces on the MP3 player, but we found the iPod Classic's click wheel wasn't as responsive. The Zune's interface is big and bold, and the Zune touchpad responded to every move and swipe. The Zune gets a 4 point 3 and the Classic gets a 3 point 7. You might be surprised, but the Zune takes this round. After averaging 2 rounds, the Zune leads by just one tenth of a point. Next round is all about compatibility. ^m00:01:29 iTunes is Mac and PC compatible. There's no music subscription service option, it has the largest digital music and media catalogue, and it's range of accessories is unmatched. Now the Zune software works with a PC and a PC only. You can go with the Zune pass subscription, or get your tracks individually but accessory support is pretty weak. The Classic gets a 3 point 7, and the Zune gets a 2 point 7. Yikes! That's a pretty low score. Now the next round is about the sound and science. If we're talking sound quality, the Zune has always had the edge even without and EQ. You can use it's built in Wi-Fi to download music directly, plus taggable FM radio songs can also be downloaded and games have multiplayer support. Battery life is where the iPod Classic shines with 36 hours of audio and 8 hours of video playback. The Genius feature is nice, but this is basically the iPod of old from 2 years ago. The Zune gets a 4 point 3 and the iPod gets a 3 point 3. After averaging 4 rounds, the Zune is just a sliver ahead of the iPod. The final round that decides it is bang for your buck. Both of these guys are 249 for the 120 gig model, and you're really getting a great value. But the iPod Classic just hasn't changed. The Zune is packed with more features, and it's nice to know you won't be left out with future firmware updates either. This round goes to the Zune with a 4 point 3 and the iPod gets a 4. So let's average all 5 rounds for the final score, and the Zune... yes! The Zune is your prize fight winner, defeating the iPod Classic 3 point 8 to 3 point 7. Apple seems happy to keep the Classic the way it is, and the constantly evolving Microsoft Zune is the one who benefits. I'm Brian Tong, thanks for watching. I'll catch you guys next time on another prize fight! [ music ]