Ipod or Creative

Gracust

Hi,

I would like peoples opinion on whether to purchase an ipod nano, ipod mini or Creative Zen micro.
I have looked at the Zen and the only drawback seems to be the over sensitive navigation system which even when set to the lowest setting still enables the user to make an incorrect command.
I love the look of the new Nano but the recent press seems to be a bit negative towards the screen and scratches that they seem to be prone to.
Then there is the ipod mini which gives you twice as much memory as the Nano for the same money but I have heard reports that the battery life is a bit iffy, meaning that they have to be returned to Apple for replacement.

If any of you could help me decide I would be most grateful.

Regards...Gracust

smcicr

apple
- best UI out there. end of.
- 'cool' factor = price is above average.
- battery is NOT user replaceable within warranty - device has to be sent off at cost.
- nano's apparently scratch if moved through the air too quickly... (;))

creative
- probably cheaper pound for pound (or gig for gig)
- battery is user replaceable - also means you can buy spares and have them handy.
- love the zen xtra i bought to replace an original ipod (connectivity issues) so i'm biased

please note - it's your money and you MUST have an opinion on which you like - i'd go with that, personally.

wolfman

I think smcicr has nailed it on the head. Maybe pop into a shop, get a feel for them, but generally the above comments sum it up very well.

Me personally, I like to stay away from hard drive based players. I sold my iPod 3rd and 4th gen. Static based players are the way forward for me.

indiegirl_2

Have to admit, that having seen both and used both, I lean to Creative. Personally have a first-release Zen, OH's mother has a Zen Micro and despite being "not technical in the slightest" (her terms), has no problem with the navigation.

From memory, almost every review of Creative vs Apple the Creative - on the sound quality front - wins hands down (if this is a factor in your purchase ask to listen to both!)

Obviously you're never going to get the 'how cool is that?' factor with the Creative as much as you do with the iPod... but for me, the longer battery life and sound quality on the Creative won me over. Oh, and the fact that it was cheaper.... ;-)

There are newer models on the market now, from memory Archos do a 3gb one that's priced around the same mark as the Zen Micro. I think there's a 5gb iRiver available too (or will be shortly). Sony are also about to bring out a new range of mp3 players... all possibly worth considering unless you've set your heart on the ones you've mentioned.

Good luck in choosing...!!

Beninio88

I think the main points have been covered. My advice is always to go to somewhere like pcworld and have a real good play about with them. Just make sure you check on the internet for better pricing afterwards (or better beforehand).

Gracust

Thank you,

for some very good and valid points. I will pop in to PC World to have a good look.
Is the Creative Zen a hard drive type machine?

...Gracust

gk172

I have the zen and navigation is a bit sensitive but you do get used to it;)

Carmen

Hi, I am in the same boat as Gracust, so thank you for the comments. Just one thing, when you refer to installing software, is that an essential part to download from the PC? If so, is it easy, complete novice here! I am leaning toward a Creative.
Many thanks
Carmen x

orange_2

The iPod mini is now discontinued so you may have a hard time finding one in shops. If you do, however, they'll likely be a bargain. The iPod nano is the mini replacement and is a fantastic player (i own both the mini and the nano). The press has definately been pounding on the nano, but i promise you that it's completely blown things out of proportion.

I'm a member of the iLounge forums, which is the top website and forum for iPod users, and have over 1800 posts there. Out of all the hundreds, even thousands, of people that have bought a nano and posted in iLounge, i've only seen 2 or 3 posts with people complaining of a broken screen. The problems with the LCD display is only present in an extremely small number of nanos and is down to a dodgy vendor. The press, on the other hand, has grabbed hold of this story and run with it. You'd be extremely unlucky to get one of the bad ones. The scratching on the other hand, is an issue. The nano scratches very easily and you'd be best getting a case.

The nano's small size and fantastic colour screen are fantastic and the black looks awesome. But as i said, scratching is an issue, and in this respect you may be better off with a mini because its casing is much more scratch resistant. I'm not too sure about the Creative Zen Micro. I'm sure it's a good player, but the UI, screen, size, and design of the nano are all fantastic selling points for me.

I should also mention that the iPod mini and Creative Zen Micro are both hard drive players, whereas the nano is flash based. Flash memory is more expensive per GB than a hard drive, which accounts for the nano's higher price when compared to the mini, but has the benefit of no moving parts. This means the nano won't skip and there's no worry of the hard drive breaking if you were to drop it.

Hope this helps.

Modis

zen for sure more space for the same price even through i got ipod mini myself