iPod Movie Rentals
Apple announced a movie-rental service earlier this week at Macworld Expo. By adding this feature to iTunes, Apple enters new territory for its online digital media store.
They’ve done deals with the big 6 - Fox, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Walt Disney - and various others including Touchstone, Miramax and New Line.
Up until now, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has insisted that people who use iPods and iTunes are more interested in owning their content than renting it.
Now, when you go to the iTunes Store, you can rent movies, rather than buying them, just as if you were going to the corner video store. You can watch films instantly over a broadband internet connection or download and keep them for 30 days. You just have to finish watching the movie within 24 hours after starting. You can also stop watching and then decide to watch on another device, so you can start watching a film at home, then finish on your iPod on the way to work in the morning.
More than 1,000 movies will be ready to rent by the end of February (of course this only applies to the US, no international dates have been set), at $3.99 for new releases and $2.99 for older movies, plus $1 for high-definition versions.
