IPOD APPLE vs. NW-HD3 SONY

first things first, this is a comparison of the ipod mini/ ipod normal vs. the sony newest NW-HD3 which is basically what the ipods are, a 20gb mp3 player. i'm sure most of you are familiar with what the ipod is about. I apologise that no photos are currently shown now, I will upload them when I get a good shot.

The ipod 20gb variant is priced at S$528, while the sony NW-HD3 is priced at S$569. This should set a constrast that the NW-HD3 should offer better .. specifications. Now let's break this down into a few points.

a) form factor.
the sony is only slightly wider than the ipod mini, with teh same thickness. This means that its very much smaller than the ipod 20gb. The colors of the mp3 players have many variations. It was noted however that apple's website showcases a different 'feel' from teh actual view, and many were actually put off by this. the sony variant showed it as it is.
Win: Sony NW-HD3

b) Menus / Interface and Program
there is no wheel touchpad on the sony, after all this is a trademark of apple. however in place of this, sony has 2 other buttons, menu and mode. this allows quick access to anything you want. In note of this, when viewing a song title, it was automatically scrolled when it is too long for the screen, this does not happen for the apple ipod. Next comes the most abhorrent thing of the Sony NW-HD3, which is the SonicStage software. If anything was to say about SonicStage, is that it sucks. Installing it on my older computer, it couldnt even initialising. Installing it on my new computer, it took quiet a long time and registered several new things which I have no idea what it is for. Then my computer totally screwed up, the 'my computer" simply couldnt work, I cant open ANY explorer windows which would reset my explorer.exe. That is okay for I manage to set things back to normal with a new account, and teh SonicStage actually worked this time. When first booted up, i KNEW that i am going to have a hard time doing things. first the songs are not organised well, and the play list is so freaking small I had to scroll so many times to view a good list. there are so many little things that i'm just not happy with i'll just put up a screen shot later. The only thing about the Sonic Stage ? well its to send files to the mp3 player. Period.

The iTunes on the other hand, is very organised and simple to sync with the ipod. Just drag and put the song files, settled. You can even setup play lists before syncing. The only problem I have is WHY do the music files have to go into the library first? Imagine 10,000 songs and you have to load that library every time.
Win: Apple iTunes/iPod

3) Cool factor.
What with all the hype and the scrolling wheel, apple wins hands down here. However it is getting very very common to see ipods around that its not really THAT cool anymore. Hence it really comes to a draw here. At least the NW-HD3 is very metallic and that somehow gives me a more cool feel. Opinion may vary here.
Win: Draw

4) Audio Quality
To compete in this category, I recorded 320kbps of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor BMV565 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra for the classical and Avril's Lavigne Take Me Away for the pop music. In both cases, somehow sony's output sounded nicer using the respectively given headphones (rather cheap). Note that no effects were used for both mp3 players. I'm not sure why the audistics are towards the Sony though. More experimenting needs to be done and then I will give a better description. Such as when I buy the Shure E3C headphones. For now..
Win: Sony NW-HD3

5) Place of Origin
The Apple iPOD is MADE IN CHINA and the NW-HD3 is MADE IN JAPAN. This is a very important thing in my opinion.
Win: Sony NW-HD3

6) Overall
Sad to say, although the sony NW-HD3 is very nicely done in many ways, the SonicStage totally revamped the way to say "sucks". The iPOD is a well-designed and accepted mp3 player, and when compared in terms of features, the iPOD may just win over by a little. The Sony NW-HD3 would more likely appeal to the middle-aged and older audience because of its more classic and old-school styled menus, while the iPOD obviously towards the teenage group. Sony has been in the line of audio technology for many years, it was no wonder that they won in that category. But few people would buy a Shure headphone just to listen to music. Therefore...
Win: Apple iPOD in terms of hype. Sony NW-HD3 in terms of integrity.