Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 14 August 2008 09:15
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 3
After an epic delay of years, Apple has finally managed to secure movie
sales and rentals on the iTunes store for Australians and New
Zealanders – but only in high-def through the Apple TV!
When Apple finally brought TV shows to the iTunes store in Australia on the
24th of June, the next question on everyone’s lips was when movies would come to iTunes, too.
Well, less than two months later, they finally have, giving iPhone,
iPod Touch, iPod 5G/classic/nano, Apple TV, Mac and Windows iTunes
users a wealth of video content at relatively reasonable prices which
we’ll look at in more detail on page 3, although movie purchases start
at AU/NZ $9.99, while movie rentals start at AU $3.99 and NZ $4.99.
The movies on offer are from the major film studios and include “20th
Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros.
Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), Sony Pictures
Television International and Lionsgate”, both “down under” and in the
“land of the long white cloud”, or Australia and NZ.
Of course, the big question that needs answering is just how many
movies are on offer, especially given that the initial selection of TV
shows just wasn’t that impressive – at least in my mind.
Well, Apple has managed to get more than 700 titles “for rent or
purchase” ready for the launch of movies on the iTunes store, and (as
in the US) promise “new release titles available for purchase on the
same day as their DVD release”, so it’s clear that this 700-strong
library will quickly grow in size to thousands, and larger.
Titles that Apple tout as being available soon include: “National
Treasure 2,” “Jumper,” “27 Dresses,” “Cloverfield,” "Vantage Point" and
“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”
Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services said that: “Movie
fans in Australia and New Zealand can choose from a great selection of
over 700 films for purchase and rent on the iTunes Store. iTunes
provides an incredibly easy and fun way for people to discover and
enjoy movies, and has quickly become the world’s most popular online
movie store with customers renting and purchasing over 50,000 movies
every day.”
So, how much will the movies cost to buy and rent, what is the
additional price for HD movies (and more details on the Apple TV HD
"catch"), and what’s the enhanced rental mechanism that’s definitely
better than what Apple originally offered movie renters in the US?
Please read on to page 2.
