I’m a picky bastard. I want it all. I want clean desktop software that connects seamlessly with a feature-rich portable media player (PMP). For years, this has meant there was precisely one choice: the Apple iPod. This is no longer the case because the mandatory iTunes desktop software stopped being “clean” while the iPod product line – with the very notable exception of the Touch – has stagnated.
For purposes of this discussion, let us temporarily put aside two things. First, the iPod Touch. Second, the size of the iTunes music library. I’ll bring them back later, promise. And for purposes of clarification, my current PMP is a refurbished SanDisk Sansa 4GB flash player. I want to upgrade.
I’m approaching this a little differently than most might. All of the players on the market are, for the most part, interchangeable. They play mp3’s. Yes, there are other formats, but the mp3 is the universal. The user interfaces are similar; one is better in one regard, worse in another. In addition to music, most can play video. (Ooh, let’s stare at the tiny, tiny screen....)
The desktop software has become the deal maker or breaker. The Sansa uses Windows Media Player (WMP), and it’s just cumbersome. As a desktop player, it’s fine. As an interface with a PMP, it works, but the experience isn’t pleasant. In technical terms, it’s sorta sucky.
Even though I didn’t own an iPod, I started using iTunes back with v6 because of how well it organized my music library. You just drag and drop files onto it. iTunes then copies that file into your designated directory, leaving the original alone. Voila, instant backup, instant organization. The competition still doesn’t do this, much to my amazement.
Things started going bad during iTunes v7. “Bloatware” is an understatement. With v8 it's worse. iTunes v8 is the 800-pound gorilla in the room not just because of market share or size of the on-line music library, but because of the software’s demand on computer resources. At one point it had consumed half my system RAM, over 500MB's, just sitting there. Neat!
The Genius feature of v8 fails to impress. “Moron” is a better name in that it cheerily recommends that I purchase music I already own. This is the best it can do after hours of “analyzing” my music library? Marvelous!
And so my days with iTunes have come to a close. Thank you, Apple, it is time for you to go.
iTunes v8 looks especially horrible when compared to the equally new Zune desktop v3. Zune v2.x was often pretty, but loved sucking 95% of my processor while sitting there looking pretty. And while “owning” most of my processor, the Zune software was unresponsive. WtF? This appears to have been fixed with v3. I let it sit overnight, scanning my library, updating itself, and in the end it was idling with barely a tick of processor power.
Zune desktop v3 appears to be easier on system resources than before. It “idles” at around 85MB of RAM, comparable to the latest releases of Winamp and WMP, and far less than iTunes v8. Zune seems to add fewer background processes. I had 46 running pre-install, 47 after; iTunes added more, going from 46 to 51. All in all, Zune desktop is far more pleasant on my computer than iTunes. It’s so nice I’d consider using it as my desktop player software.
So at this point of my internal debate, by virtue of its desktop software, Zune leads. The desktop software is better than iTunes in all regards save one, the way it copies files into your library. In return for losing that feature, Zune desktop is leaner (who thought you could say that about any Microsoft software?), more pleasant to look at, and is far less of a resource hog.
As a bonus, MixView kicks Genius to the curb. Hard. It is gorgeous, simple, and just plain works as advertised. In total, if the new Zune desktop software indicates how Microsoft will do software development in the future, they will, indeed, rule the world. You have been warned.
However, now the aforementioned iTunes music library and iPod Touch may return to the discussion. It is impossible to ignore the success of the iPod/iTunes music eco-system. And yet, while the size of the library is nice, it is neither a deal maker nor deal breaker for me. The only songs I ever purchased via iTunes were from the Plus store because I hate, hate, hate Digital Rights Management.
As for the Touch, it's just gorgeous. It makes much more sense than the iPhone. It makes playing music fun. You need two hands to use it, though, and you have to give it your full attention. It’s also expensive for the storage space you get, $299 for 16GB while for $50 less I can get 120GB.
So I gently lay the Touch aside, disregard that giant DRM-wrapped library, and look elsewhere. I am led inevitably – or so it seems – to Zune. The price is right, the players are fine, and the desktop software appears to be excellent. That leaves me only worried about DRM.
There is no equivalent to iTunes Plus, individual files without a DRM wrapper, so everything you buy via Zune is locked up. Zune offers a subscription service, though. For a monthly fee I have access to much (all?) of the Zune library. I can swap songs in and out at will. I can explore. If I find something I like, then it’s off to the store to purchase the CD, or acquire a DRM-less version from some other digital download service (e.g., Amazon).
With Apple, it’s purchase or be damned.
With a subscription service there is no illusion of ownership and somehow that makes DRM less annoying. It’s analogous to satellite radio, where you pay a flat monthly rate to listen to as much music as you want. Or, for that matter, Netflix. I love Netflix.
And so I think I’ve talked myself into my next PMP purchase. Hello, Zune?
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