SHOOTOUT: New iPod vs. Dell DJ (Digital Jukebox)

Apple’s iPod is the hit portable music player. Competition is coming from all sides and every direction. How well does the iPod stack up against a player from the world’s largest computer maker? Check all 12 points in this Shootout between the iPod and the Dell DJ Digital Jukebox.

Sony’s newest and best offering the Sony Walkman NW-HD1 is the latest salvo from a major competitor. Sony is the big loser. Everyone disses the diminutive player for every reason you can think of except brand name.

What about Dell’s DJ? The Digital Jukebox is nearing the end of its first year of production and Dell refuses to provide sales figures or market share numbers. As Dell prepares to eat crow, Apple crows about the iPod’s continuing growth and success.

Prepare to compare. I’ll use the same 12 points we used when comparing the new generation iPod to Sony’s Walkman. Let’s see how the Dell DJ compares. This time, we’ll use the iPod 20 gig version against a similar size hard drive in the Dell.

1 - Overall Size
If small is better, then Apple takes the cake against the DJ. Dell couldn’t squeeze the air out of the DJ. It’s heavier and bulkier than the iPod. In fact, held in your hand, the DJ feels more like a PocketPC.
WINNER: iPod

2 - Hard Drive Capacity
Size is everything. I should know. While we’re comparing the 20 giabyte versions of each player, Dell says you can’t get as many songs onto the DJ as Apple says will go onto an iPod. Plus, there’s a 40 gigabyte version of the iPod available for those of you who happen to have 10,000 songs. Still, 20 gigs by any other name is still 20 gigs.
WINNER: Tie

3 - Total Number of Songs
Obviously, this one depends. Mostly. Apple advertises up to 10,000 songs on the 40 gig iPod, and 5,000 songs on the 20 gig model. Dell says the DJ will hold up to 9,925 songs on the 20 gig model. Then, like Sony, they cheat a little and say that the audio format is 64kbps WMA encoding vs. the 128kbps AAC encoding on the iPod. No, it ain’t Apples to apples. But it’s the number of songs that counts.
WINNER: Dell DJ

4 - Cool Factor
The industry that iPod built is phenomenal. So is the cool factor. IF Dell’s DJ is so cool then why did they offer a $100 bounty to trade in your old iPod for a DJ? That’s not cool. That’s desperate. How many Dell DJ’s have you seen? Compare that to the number of iPods in your own family. I’ll bet the number is the same.
WINNER: iPod

5 - Sound Quality
Granted, this is a subjective category. Still, listening to 128kbps AAC encoded audio on an iPod is usually considered much better than a similar bit rate MP3. Since Dell officially advertises the DJ at 64kbps WMA, it’s no contest. Not with my ears, your ears, or the ears of everyone else, or professionals.
WINNER: iPod

6 - Versatility
The Dell DJ is a PocketPC that thinks it’s a music player. Or, so it seems. It stores music and not much more. It’s ONLY USB and ONLY Windows compatible. It won’t play your music downloaded from the iTunes Music Store, and it won’t be a hard drive to store files (easily) without a few extra pounds of effort. iPod? The king of versatility. USB and Firewire. Mac or PC. Stores what you want.
WINNER - iPod

7 - Battery Life
Yes, I know. This one sorta “depends”, too. But not enough. Even the new iPod is rated at only “around” 12 hours of battery life. Dell says the DJ will get up to 20 hours of battery life. Of course, most Dell users never use up the 20 hours before ditching the little bugger and moving to an iPod. Still…
WHINER: Dell DJ

8 - Compatibility
Apple did the iPod right. Both Mac and PC. Works seamslessly with the iTunes Music Store and iTunes. Both Mac and PC. USB 2.0 and Firewire. AAC, MP3, and more. Dell’s DJ Music Player knows WMA and MP3. Is this a contest or a rout?
WINNER: iPod

That’s 8 points down and 4 points to go. The score? The iPod: 5, Dell Digital JukeBox: 2, and one tie.

Click Here for Page 2 and the final score.

Page 2 >>

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