September 11, 2006 2:59 PM PDT
Apple taking iTunes to the movies?
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If the analysts and enthusiasts are on target, the iTunes store and client software will soon offer the option of movie downloads, expanding its offerings from
As usual, an Apple representative declined to comment on the plans for Tuesday's event at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Most of Apple's public events and press conferences this year have focused on the Mac, as the
The new Nanos should come with more flash memory for increased storage capacity, and a few new color choices, thinks Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray. If Apple's really thinking about increasing its already-dominant share of the portable music player market, it will probably have a model or two with wireless capabilities, he said.
Microsoft is planning to
But the
PC companies have mostly flamed out trying to bring digital content into the living room via the PC. Lots of desktop PCs now come with
Apple could have an advantage in its iTunes software, which is available on somewhere between 50 million to 70 million clients, and its relationships with content distributors, Baker said. But what the company hasn't done is come up with a product that connects the Mac or PC to a digital television. The Airport Express product can stream music to wireless receivers around the house, but hasn't been updated for video streaming as yet.
"At some point, they've got to start coming to the table with a real digital entertainment strategy. They've got to have something that ties the iPods and music and movie stores to the rest of your home entertainment," Baker said. That could be a new version of Airport Express that is designed for video streaming, or it could be more video-friendly Macs like the
As always, with Apple events there's never a total consensus among the fan base on exactly what to expect. An updated video iPod with a slightly larger screen gets frequently mentioned as a nice combination with the iTunes movie store. Some enthusiast sites are pointing to the introduction of the long-rumored iPhone, but analysts don't think that product is quite ready for prime time. Another possibility would be new MacBook Pros based on Intel's new Core 2 Duo chip for notebooks, formerly code-named Merom.
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iTMS.
Let's hope they don't make the same mistake they did with TV
shows and make them only available in America.
Remember: Internet - no geographical boundaries.
Let Steve annouce it and then we can talk about it. What you think?
Let Steve annouce it and then we can talk about it. What you think?
Tonight, my friend called up and asked for a suggestion for a music jukebox for his Macbook. I was lost. Are there any?
He, like myself, don't hate the iTunes/iPod eco (in fact, we like it a lot), but we'd like a bit of options. He's more about the music and doesn't want an iPod; I'd actually like to get videos online and use my iPod still.
Any suggestions of a good service???
P.S. I did see a handful of music players Mac-compatible, but they didn't seem very up-to-date.
http://phobos.apple.com/showtime/showtime.html
The message on the page says:
"It's Showtime
The iTunes Store is being updated"
Hence, support outside the US is limited.