Impending Announcement for Apple
Supposed industry insiders are reporting that bossman Steve Jobs will announce an iTunes driven movie rental program that is intended to rival Netflix, Blockbuster, Movie Gallery, and other rental providers. Through iTunes, users will be able to download entire films onto their portable handheld devices and computers.
Jobs originally lobbied for a purchase program that mirrors iTunes’ music downloading program, but partners Universal, Disney, Paramount, and Warner Brothers all nixed the idea. Instead, users will download programs that are coded so as to “not work” after a certain amount of time, thereby mirroring the old fashioned video store rental model of rent-and-return.
Keep your ears and eyes open, and your downloading fingers ready, around the beginning of August. For more info, see thinksecret and slashfilm.