“Perhaps the most compelling reason to buy a Zune HD right now isn’t the gorgeous screen or forthcoming apps, HD radio, or slick design. Make no mistake about it — this is a fine, fine device, and no one would fault you for buying one — but it’s not the device itself that is the most attractive part of this package. To us, it seems like the single most compelling reason to choose this device over something like the iPod touch can be boiled down to one thing: Zune Pass.

We know what you’re thinking — that’s crazy fanboy talk. But look at these facts: as of right now there isn’t a huge price advantage to purchasing the ZHD over a touch (in fact, $199 gets you into a lower capacity touch, while you’re looking at $229 for the base Zune), you don’t have access to more media (certainly in the video department) or applications, the sound quality isn’t so much better that we’d ward you off of another product, and there are generally major deficits in the utility of the Zune HD versus Apple’s player (like that web browser). The Zune HD is a great media player, but we can’t pretend it’s the only PMP on the market.

But the one thing that Microsoft has that Apple doesn’t is Zune Pass — and that’s a major “but.” We won’t bore you with the details of this service, though you should know that for $14.99 a month, you can basically enjoy all the music you can find in the Zune Marketplace (and download ten tracks on the house every 30 days). The Pass should appeal to both casual and obsessive listeners alike, since it provides benefit to either. Whether you’re gobbling up music or just snacking, having an all-you-can-eat buffet in front of you is handy.

So let’s pretend for a moment that these players are exactly the same in every way except for how you get music on them. In that scenario, we think Microsoft’s angle has some real advantages. Of course, these players are different — you’re still sacrificing a lot for that $15 subscription — and even though the Zune HD is a tremendous media player with a lot of great features, we still don’t think it competes 1:1 with a device like the touch. Still, it competes, and for Microsoft and the Zune brand, that’s a major leap forward.”

Read more: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/17/zune-hd-review/