I've got a Zen 8gb, but probably going for an iPod because.

Question

My Zen 8GB is my first mp3 player. This player is really something when it comes to watching videos and movies. I have no major complaints.... But searching the net and discovering more about ipod i finally quit the idea of buying the new Zen 32GB and going for an ipod classic 80GB. Probalby i'll give the Zen to my wife. The reasons that push me to that are: . In my opinion an ipod is more stylish than Zen. Zen is plastic while an ipod (6th generation) is metallic. 2. No card integration to the players library so far (and i don't know if it ever that happens). At least the moderators here in this forum should post something like "ok boys and girls, we are working on this, stay cool". No news about that. 3. When it comes to fast forwarding in a movie you can not see at wich point is the movie. No preview while fast forwarding while an ipod can do that. 4. The wheel button on the ipod is really something and much more handy than the cross-square button on Zen. 5. 80GB versus 32GB...big difference. I need more space...! 6. The price of an ipod classic 80GB is much lower than the 32GB Zen. I know (as a friend in here replied to me) that the flash memory Zen uses is of a better quality than the hard dri've of the ipod and i respect that...i really do...but i think i am sticking at the older technology. The only thing that for the moment i see as a minor concerning the ipod, is that you have to use itunes to do everything. For the moment, and not seeing that in act, that worries me a bit. Zen is purely drag and drop into the player...no worries! But i think i can manage that when i get the hung of it. I don't know if my thoughts are right or i've been brain washed by all that apple-propaganda. The thing is that apple's products are everywhere. Here in Greece you can find anything on apple's product but concerning Zen...we stuck on the 8GB version. No 6 or 32GB versions yet...! Why I think that this shows people's petition here in Greece and it's not satisfying. I heard that especially when it comes to player like Zen V Plus and Zen V (and that comes from a people that works in a store selling electronics and computers)... "people are bringing them like crazies back to as for refund or to give them a new one cause 50% of those players are faulty" Anyway...if someone has a different view on that matter i would be glad to hear it. I am not against Creative, i really do like the product but i just don't think it can reach the ipod classic.
Message Edited by sambora on 0-28-200803:59 PM
Message Edited by sambora on 0-28-200804:03 PM

Answer 1

---------------------------------------[color="#000099">6. The price of an ipod classic 80GB is much lower than the 32GB Zen. I know (as a friend in here replied to me) that the flash memory Zen uses is of a better quality than the hard dri've of the ipod and i respect that...i really do...but i think i am sticking at the older technology.[color="#000099">---------------------------------------[color="#000099">?[color="#000099">I would not dispute the fact that harddisk based players are cheaper than flash memory and it has nothing to do with flash memory being of better quality, it is just a different technology.
When Creative had their harddisk players they are cheaper than the flash memory versions but there are several limitations to harddisk based players.
Firstly, a harddisk has moving parts and a small size harddisk used by the MP3 players would inevitably be more sensiti've and face a higher probably of damage. It all depends on how you plan to use the player. If you are going to place the player on a table while you listen to it then the harddisk based players would work fine. However, if you plan to be on the move while listening to your music then this type of activity would increase the possibly of harddisk damage. Just jogging or cycling with your harddisk based MP3 players may be enough to damage the harddisk and render the player unusable. Dropping it would indeed be a big no-no. However if the player is flash memory based, you can shake it, drop it (within a reasonable distance) and so on would not damage the player. You may scratch the exterior but that pretty much all the damage you would cause.
Secondly, because a harddisk player has moving parts, it would inevitable draw more power and thus you will need a huge and powerful battery in order to provide sufficient power and thus the harddisk based players are bigger and bulkier. The flash memory does not use as much power and thus the battery used can be smaller. Besides flash memory are thin and thus you can get smaller and lighter players which can fit nicely in the pocket.
Thirdly, the harddisk typically would have a lower Meantime Before Failure compared to Flash memory and thus it would mean the flash memory based players would typically last a lot longer.
The harddisk manufacturers from what I read are scaling down on harddisk for mp3 players as the prices of flash memory comes down and rendering the cost benefits of the harddisk redundant.
?However, in the end, the choice is pretty much yours.
Message Edited by eddy2099 on 0-29-200807:50 PM