Before we get to the price drops, a bit of news: Microsoft has confirmed that a larger 64GB Zune HD will be out soon. Very soon, actually. April 12th to be exact. Now, for the interesting part: the 64GB Zune HD will be priced significantly lower than Apple’s $399 iPod touch, starting at $350. You’d expect that the Zune HD will be cheaper than a same-sized iPod touch since, well, Apple’s players are just more popular. But if you’re serious about tech, and you want a bit more performance from your mobile multimedia kit, you might want to check out the Zune HD.
Why? Because the Zune HD delivers HD. It can play high-def 720p videos on a brighter, more energy efficient, multi-touch OLED screen with a battery that’s rated to last up to 20 hours’ worth of video playback. It also has HD Radio, which is a seriously good option to have if you’re tired of whatever you loaded it with.
Unfortunately, it lacks the app and game support that you’d normally get on the iPod touch. We’re not saying that we’re particularly fond of playing The Sims, or Plants vs Zombies on Apple’s portable, but the lack of options currently available for the Zune HD is certainly a factor, and it’s especially frustrating given the Zune HD’s high-end screen and graphics. But if you just want a movie player on-the-go? Zune HD all-the-way, baby. The fact that it’s $50 cheaper than the iPod touch is a bonus.
The rest of the line will get a tweaked price to make room for the top-end 64GB model: the 16GB model will sell for $200, while the 32GB model will cost $270.
Tags: Apple, Ipod Touch, Microsoft, Portable Media Players, Zune HD
