Zune HD vs Rumored iPod Touch with Camera

Oh how I remember the good ol’ days. In those times of listening to hacky MP3s on my laptop and then cellphone, the iPod was nary a wee twinkle in main street’s starry night dreams. Fast forward to 2009 and the iPod skipped over the original MP3 pioneers to become THE portable media platform. What iPod says goes.

Meanwhile the Zune family has been making the chase at least interesting and at best competitive. The Zune HD is raising the technical bar with its Tegra processor and 720p-capable screen. Does that mean anything? On a 40 inch screen, yes. On a 4 inch screen, no most consumers wouldn’t care for the difference in quality. Remember one of the reasons Sony’s MiniDisc format failed was that most consumers were happy with cassette tape recording quality.  The iPhone’s technically poor camera is now the most popular on flickr.

Back at Cupertino, if the rumors come true then a new iPod is coming to the Christmas Tree this year and it will take video of you opening the rest of your gifts. This of course you will probably be able to upload to YouTube with a couple of gestures. Someone with the Zune HD will be pointing out how much more detailed their screen is compared to other players, and the person he’s talking to won’t be able to perceive the difference on the tiny screen.

This is one of the reasons why Apple’s iPod family consistently bests the competition on main street, and if the rumors are true then I think the camera-equipped iPod Touch would bury the Zune HD in sales figures. A Tegra powered 720p capable portable media device is a technical masterpiece and I’m full of admiration for that accomplishment. An affordable quality media player with a video camera and YouTube upload capability would simply be instant fun though. I’m thinking of trading in my video camera already…and this thing’s only a rumor!

Neil Berman

www.theonbutton.com