The briefly ballyhooed iTunes movie rental store did sound a bit too good to be true. While multiple sources confirm Apple’s feeler, the flipside is that the movie studios aren’t exactly smitten, according to Reuters. $2.99 for 30 days? Preposterous, sneers Hollywood. Easy portability to your iPod or iPhone? Poppycock.
AU: Sorry, I’ve been trying to avoid Apple, but stuff like this comes down the feed and it’s too important to just throw it into the briefs. Boo hoo. -SB
Financial Times is reporting that Apple is in “advanced talks with Hollywood’s largest movie studios” to launch an online video rental service. Flicks will cost $3 to rent for 30 days and can be moved to at least one other device, such as an iPod or iPhone.
AU: Something like this might be much more likely to translate to the local iTunes experience than pure video sales, because there is less of the copyright red tape involved with local companies. Still some, no doubt, but rental holds much less ‘fear factor’ than sales. If the prices was right (and $5-ish for 30 days doesn’t sound too bad) I’d give it a spin. -SB
