Apple Is in the Movie Game
Just as it appeared that iPod sales might start going into a funk, and just when it appeared that rivals might get a toehold in the entertainment market, Apple has entered the movie download business and introduced a new line of iPods and a new device call iTV:
Hoping to solidify its dominance in digital media, Apple began selling movie downloads from Disney on Tuesday and introduced a new device to take media content like music, movies and photos from PCs to the TV.
“In less than one year we’ve grown from offering just five TV shows to offering over 220 TV shows, and we hope to do the same with movies” Jobs said, according to the Associated Press. “ITunes is selling over 1 million videos a week, and we hope to match that with movies in less than a year.”
At an event in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs also announced upgrades throughout the entire line of the company’s iconic iPod music and video players.
“Apple basically made its claim on the living room today,” said Gene Munster, an analyst with equity firm Piper Jaffrey. “The hundred-million-dollar question for companies has been how to get content into the other room, simply. Apple has the advantage because of iTunes.”
Apple’s music and video software iTunes, which got a major overhaul Tuesday, is used by 70 million consumers, Munster said. Apple’s new media transfer box, code-named iTV and expected to start selling in January for $299, will move the content to the TV via iTunes.
The article goes on to say that movie downloads might take as long as a half-hour on Broadband connections. That time will get considerably shorter when Sprint finishes this work.
UPDATE: Downloaded iTunes 7 last night. Sweet.
