“In much the same way it upended online distribution of music, Apple may now be poised to redefine the way movies are rented online. According to published reports, Apple and Fox plan to bring movie rentals to Apple’s popular iTunes Store, and through that to its family of iPod media players and the iPhone.
The two companies are said to have concluded an agreement that will have Fox movies available for limited-time viewing via iTunes as they are released on DVD,” Arik Hesseldahl reports for BusinessWeek. Apple competitors’ offerings are “hard to use and their movies don’t work with iPods, among the most popular digital entertainment devices on the market, says JupiterResearch analyst Michael Gartenberg.
‘Apple will be bringing to the table its famous ease-of-use and its popular player,’ Gartenberg says. ‘For all intents and purposes, if something doesn’t work with the iPhone or the iPod, it doesn’t exist.’ Some of the services aren’t compatible with Apple’s Macintosh computers, either,” Hesseldahl reports. “Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs may announce the rental plan on Jan. 15, during his keynote address at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco…
As much as the Apple-Fox deal could shake up online film rental, it’s also likely to breathe new life into Apple TV, a digital media also-ran,” Hesseldahl reports. “…Apple hasn’t disclosed the number of Apple TV devices sold, but market research firm iSuppli has estimated the number at less than a million units. The number could rise quickly once movies are available for rent from iTunes.” MacDailyNews Take: Let’s say 900,000 Apple TV units sold since March 21, 2007.
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