According to reports, Apple is close to announcing plans to make Fox and Disney movies available as online rentals via iTunes (US). Apple CEO Steve Jobs is likely saving the official iTunes rentals announcement for his Macworld Expo keynote on Jan. 14.
How iTunes Movie Rentals Would Work
Customers would pay a fee to download titles viewable on Mac computers, iPods, iPhones and presumably Apple TV devices that would expire after a short window of time. Apple’s iTunes rentals product is late in the game. Netflix, Amazon.com and Blockbuster’s Movielink are all already competitors in this space.
Wal-Mart Kills Its TV and Movie Download Store
Wal-Mart, however, has thrown in the towel. Wal-Mart.com quietly pulled the plug on its video download service late last month as Hewlett Packard decided to discontinue the back-office technology that powered it. The service, popular with studios because it offered variable pricing, struggled with compatibility issues. Wal-Mart downloads could not be burned to DVDs or watched on video iPods.
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Frank Wilson is a retired teacher with over 30 years of combined experience in the education, small business technology, and real estate business. He now blogs as a hobby and spends most days tinkering with old computers. Wilson is passionate about tech, enjoys fishing, and loves drinking beer.
