Nickname: independent

Review: The iPod/iTunes users drink their own Kool-Aid way too much. The iTunes model is crazy expensive compared to Yahoo. I download around five to eight new albums to my MP3 player a month via Yaho. for $10. I listen to all this new stuff and then keep the 5% I like. With Apple it would cost $50-$90 a month to do the same, and then you throw out most of it. Only meaningful iTunes' advantage is the larger song selection.

Date reviewed: Sep 8, 2006 9:39 PM

Nickname: Gordon

Review: You missed a big one: www.burnlounge.com/gordonjones, the first and only relationship/network marketing to take advantage of the Music Long Tail.

Date reviewed: Sep 7, 2006 8:36 PM

Nickname: Musician

Review: From licensing iTunes for cell phones to "available- with-album-only" tracks--take note that the main reason iTunes is so successful is not because of the iPod, but iPod is successful because of iTunes. And why is iTunes so successful? Because when it comes to licensing (including working out the details for cell phone licensing), iTunes satisfies both customer and the music companies. Granted, it's not perfect, but it does the best at satisfying both sides at this time. If your livelihood is based on how many people buy your songs, the "unlimited downloads" satisfies only the download customer, but not the songwriting customer.

Date reviewed: Sep 7, 2006 7:48 PM

Nickname: win-doze

Review: Microsoft will never even come close to Apple. Microsoft is nothing more than a copy-cat. Apple is inventive. One copies, one creates. Wait until Apple comes out with their cell phone. Game over.

Date reviewed: Sep 7, 2006 3:18 AM

Nickname: RipRagged

Review: As someone else stated previously, Zune is a Microsoft product. Expectations are low. The name is goofy. There is no innovation there, except to add a WiFi component. WiFi on a portable music player seems kind of like a slice of cheddar cheese on a doughnut. You could -- but why would you?

Date reviewed: Sep 6, 2006 5:18 AM

Nickname: entropy

Review: except, wifi rules, that zune will not allow you to do that thru drm restrictions in the music and constraints built into the hardware necessary to keep the music companies happy.

Date reviewed: Sep 6, 2006 3:55 AM

Nickname: Manoj

Review: I totally disagree that the iPod has won. For example, iTunes music store is present in only 21 countries. India, China, Brazil and Russia are not on the list. Also, there are many tracks on iTunes that are "album only" meaning you have to buy the whole album to get that particular song. Which of course defies the reason for which iTunes was supposedly created. Then there is the fact that iTunes customers outside USA are being ripped off. The prices outside USA are typically US$1.30 per track. Then there are other reasons like Apple's refusal to license wireless/cellphone downloads from iTunes, no AAA battery support, no AM/FM radio, older tracks aren't cheaper, etc. To me it's always been obvious that Apple needs competition. It now seems that Microsoft, Nokia, LG, and Mr. Murdoch also agree.

Date reviewed: Sep 5, 2006 11:58 PM

Nickname: bdc

Review: Come on, the game is not over at all. It has just begun!

Date reviewed: Sep 5, 2006 10:43 PM

Nickname: Wifi rules

Review: For a quick understanding of the potential of Wi-Fi on players, check out www.musicgremlin.com - instant music download and sharing with your friends using any open Wi-Fi AP.

Date reviewed: Sep 5, 2006 4:59 PM

Nickname: el.gruga

Review: Shaw Wu (and others) base their comments on research of the market and the look of the Zune, but most of all on Microsoft's inability to do anything right. Wireless in an MP3 player is idiotic, as already stated here. iTunes and iPod work well and easily on most platforms -- they have become the "name." Instead of saying "MP3 player," we say "iPod". The game is over and Apple has obviously won.

Date reviewed: Sep 5, 2006 4:58 PM