iPod vs. Zune: Get, Set, Go!

The Apple vs. Microsoft war has moved away from the desktop to the user's pockets with Microsoft finally making an official announcement of the Zune digital media player and platform, screaming up in the rear view mirror of Apple's reigning iPod. After months of rumors and possible capabilities being posted all over the web, Microsoft has finally spoken and put down the real deal on paper for the world to see. Everyone is pretty kicked about it and eager to find out which is better. We'll drag the current king of digital audio players with the new kid on the block, spec by spec, and tell you who will win.

Starting from 0, each spec comparison gets the players either a full point, half a point or nothing at all. And it gets added to its existing score.

First up, storage capacity
The iPod is currently available in two sizes, 30GB and 60GB. In time, we will also have the recently announced 80GB version. The Zune will only have a 30GB version when it releases and as of now, there have been no announcements about a higher capacity version to be released down the line. In terms of size options, the iPod is clearly the winner, because the 30GB iPod is likely to be phased out as the Nano approaches that territory. When that happens, the Zune will be less than half the capacity of the iPod. Both claim to be able to store up to 7,500 songs in their respective formats (AAC and WMA), but if you take standard quality, 128kbps, 3-minute MP3s, you can pump in almost 10,000 in both.

So, iPod 1, Zune 0.

Next, color
Both the iPod and the Zune are available in black as well as white, but the Zune is also available in an earthy brown color, which is quite off beat compared to mainstream DAPs. Microsoft says that the brown color will appeal to artists and musicians alike. The Zune will also be involved in co-branding during music concerts and other events. I must say I am rather intrigued by the color and I guess I'd actually want to buy something like that, but not everyone is equally enthusiastic about the choice of the third color. Hey, at least it's not Pink!

Just half a point for a minority favorite brown color. iPod stands at 1, Zune goes ahead a bit at 0.5.