Apple: Movie Download Purchases Are Great, But I Want More Rentals

May 1st, 2008

Apple just announced the availability of more movies in the Apple iTunes Store, many on the same day as the DVD release. It shows the studios may finally be loosening their grip on digital downloads. But despite this great news, I won’t be handing Apple any more money than before.

It basically comes down to one thing: I no longer want to purchase movies. I recently divested myself of the majority of my DVD collection. I and and others ranted about this before - rentals are the way to go.

For me, the proof is in the reciepts - as of this date the only iTunes video content purchased has been Battlestar Galactica Season 3 and Greys Anatomy, both TV shows not on DVD at the time. As for movies, all have been rentals - mostly the weekly 99 cent specials (The Hours, Escape From Alcatraz, Soul Plane, Ronin, Bulletproof Monk, A Guy Thing, Bandits) but I did pay full rental price for a few ( Wargames, Star Trek II, Beauty Shop and Across The Universe). That’s a fair amount of dollars for rentals and absolute bupkis for purchases.

I also feel Apple’s rental selection leave much to be desired, especially in comparison with NetFlix.

So although I appreciate the gradually relaxing fist of the studios, this announcement won’t have me buying movies from Apple. Instead, I eagerly await the press release swapping the word “rentals” for “purchases.”

RSS Feed Please subscribe to the Webomatica RSS Feed!

folder Categories: Apple, Technology :: ::
Back Previous Post: Battlestar Galactica: Lay Down Your Burdens (2)
Back Next Post: Movie Notes: A Guy Thing

  • jcieplinski
    I think it's just a matter of time before the rentals show up on the same day as DVD releases, too. It's all about baby steps.

    I do purchase some movies myself; my biggest problem is that the ones I want to buy are usually only available to rent, and the ones I want to rent are often only available to buy. I look forward to a time when all the movies are available for both, and the majority are available in HD, as well.
  • Yep I'm well aware of the necessity of "baby steps" when it comes to the
    slow-to-move studios.

    One amusing thing is every major complaint I have about Apple TV (small
    selection, discrepancy between rentals / purchases, rental window of only 24
    hours) are not technological limitations but hangups by the studios - and no
    fault of Apple.
  • Not only does Apple need to deliver more rentals, but I think they're missing out on a big opportunity: not just issuing the movies on iTunes the day they hit DVD, but instead, when they hit the theater.

    Would you pay $10 to rent a movie that was in theaters now, and then see the price decrease to $5 after it's been out a month, and eventually $3 or so when it leaves the theater? I know I would. I'm not going to the movie theaters at all any more, but sometimes I'd like to see a film when it's brand new.
  • That's certainly something a lot of consumers would jump at in a heartbeat.
    Unfortunately I strongly doubt the movie studios would ever go along with
    that idea, as I'm sure some studio execs are terrified it would
    "cannibalize" their theater numbers.
    They still believe music downloads and rentals "cannibalize" their CD and
    DVD sales. Old habits die hard.

    Meanwhile, I see a sale is a sale - the format is irrelevant, and I wouldn't
    be purchasing many of these movies or seeing them in the theater anyway - so
    it's free money the studios are turning down.
  • perhaps you are looking at the new rental model :)
  • Watch full movies LEAKED from studios for free
    check http://moviereleased.com
blog comments powered by Disqus