“Apple Inc., maker of the top-selling iPod media player, will let iTunes users rent movies as well as buy them and will add Warner Bros. and Fox as suppliers, according to people familiar with the agreements,” Andy Fixmer and Connie Guglielmo report for Bloomberg.
“Joining Warner Bros. and News Corp.’s Fox in supplying rental films are Viacom Inc.’s Paramount, Walt Disney Co. and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., said two people who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public,” Fixmer and Guglielmo report.
“Apple will announce the rental service Jan. 15, the people said. New releases and older titles will rent for $3.99 for 24 hours. The lower-priced rentals and additional titles may help boost the popularity of Apple’s iPod media players, iPhone and Apple TV set-top box, which delivers shows to widescreen TV sets,” Fixmer and Guglielmo report. “‘Once a couple of studios do it, how long can the others resist?’ Richard Greenfield, a Pali Capital analyst, said in an interview. ‘It becomes only a matter of minutes before the others come on board too.'”
“Jobs may also use his [Jan. 15th Macworld Expo keynote] speech to announce an update to Apple TV, which transmits content from a Mac or PC for viewing on widescreen TVs, Bear Stearns & Co. analyst Andrew Neff said in an interview,” Fixmer and Guglielmo report.
Full article here.
Someone brought up a good point. Since the 24hr rental makes no sense, perhaps, Apple released the rumor to set low expectations. When MWSF keynote hits, Steve announces something far better than the 24hr rental model.
As someone said, this helps stifle true wild n crazy rumors, which Apple can’t possibly meet, while setting the bar really low so that we all get wowed by Steve’s RDF.
“Subscription”, in this case, doesn’t mean you pay a monthly bill. You’ll subscribe to individual movies for a given period of time. Just means you pay for it, download it, but then it disappears after you watch it.
Yeah, that sounds exactly like a rental. I like this idea of words meaning whatever the hell I say they mean at any given moment. Here’s one: fucking retard == sexless geek.
@KenC
Shut up. Nobody likes how you talk about your multiple homes, and all the possessions you have. I’m talking about your family and friends, not the people on this site. You are a liar and a showoff, and it shows real insecurity. If you do this in real life, I guarantee the people around you want to wring your neck. I know the type.
Oh my God, you killed KenC!
brent,
Who the hell do you think you calling out KenC like that? I was moved to tears when I read he only had 3 or 4 homes. The poor girl is probably too ashamed to admit she doesn’t have homes in Europe and Saudi Arabia. He could have been my neighbor at either location. I am getting tired of Shanghai so I’m selling that property and moving to Singapore. Who knows, maybe I’ll keep it and have three Asian properties to go with the condo in Tokyo.
I see KenC’s situation like when you were growing up and there was the poor kid in your class who after winter break couldn’t join in on the Christmas present inventory discussion because he only got socks or something. It’s heartbreaking.
FYI MDNers, I’ll be between my places in San Francisco and New York over the next couple of days so I may not respond as soon I’d like. Might have to stop by the apartments in Oslo and Paris this weekend too. It will be great to be back home in Omaha next week and put my feet up.
Your potential. Our passion.™
I’d rather pay a movie fee for a video subscription. $15-25/mo, depending to how much content you can store at a time, to compare with Netflix, or say…. $35-50/mo if they throw in television episodes.
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I don’t want to be limited to 24 hours in either case. For me, that is the biggest irritancy there is with current pay-per-view models. If you’re not going to allow me to subscribe, at least give me a week to watch. 30 days would be better though.
brent,
I took the statetment by KenC as simply facts of his personal situation. Maybe he has a job that requires him to have more than one home. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he is being truthful.
You are the one who seems to be insecure. Rude comments like yours are usually made by jealous little people with dead end jobs who would rather trash others rather than improve their own lot in life.
yeah ,zuney , what would the financial times and bloomberg know ?
i’d much rather get all my up to date financial info from a boring predictable 3rd rate troll that posts inane garbage on a daily internet message board
Thank you, flappo. No argument from me that the Financial Times and Bloomberg are for pretentious MAC snobs. It is unfortunate they both refuse to expand their coverage to include covreage for the other 97.5% of computer users.
I’ll do my best to keep you informed with timely, accurate and well researched posts.
Your potential. Our passion.™
I’m glad I live in the U.S. of A. where folks like Brent and ZT and I can say what we like. (except for “FIRE” in a movie theater, or “Bomb” in an airport!)
I also like the fact that unlike a socialist or communist country, in the U.S. of A. it’s not considered right and good to stifle the creation and consumption of wealth on the basis that not everyone has a personal driver and a Benz.
(Unless you’re a socialist democrat or republican, perhaps.)
Be content with what you have! Work for what you don’t.
Don’t begrudge another’s possessions.
Live happy. Buy a Mac.
As a few others have pointed out, the pricing structure is a bit disappointing. 3.99 technically fair but for 24 hrs. not. And, for those of us with, what I call, pseudo broadband it takes about 24 hours to download a movie.
Having said that, I think this step is/was inevitable and overall good, and I hope they keep doing what they [Apple] need to do to keep their customers as happy as possible and to keep MS at bay. I also hope our ISP out here in the boonies starts providing true broadband service without these ridiculous fall-back data rates. I can start out at a respectable 250-350Kb/s, but after a certain amount of time or data has transpired it goes all the way down to 50-60Kb/s – Still faster than dialup, but OUCH! (The fact that I even have to compare it to dialup should say something.) And yes, this ISP is the only option there is for this area right now. Oh well, Upward and Inward I always say.