Zune Thoughts: PC World Tests and Compares Leading Portable Media Players

"With video features, new ways to connect to music services, and more, the latest audio players do a lot more than just play MP3s. Our lab tests of 21 models reveal today's best buys... We point out differences in features and performance to help you weigh which is the right player for you."

PCWorld offers up a fairly extensive comparison, including audio quality tests, for many of today's leading digital media players. They group the players into three categories: flash, hard-drive, and large-screen video players. This is one of the more extensive comparisons I've seen, even if they do have some items just plain wrong. (Apparently you can't connect Zune via USB.) :) According to PC World's audio tests, Zune does slightly nudge out iPod in audio quality, receiving a "superior" ranking. Zune's lowest mark was in the features category, receiving only a "fair" mark, bringing Zune in at fifth overall behind the 30 GB iPod, Zen VisionM, Gigabeat S30, and 80 GB iPod, respectively. I do take issue with their statement that none of the other players can match the elegance of iPods user interface. On the contrary, having used iPods for some time, and now using a Zune, I think Zune's interface is much more elegant than iPod's.