Apple posts iTunes 7.6.1, promises weekly 99-cent rentals

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple on Thursday released a minor update to iTunes and also vowed to offer Apple TV and iTunes users the treat of a low-cost movie rental each week.



Available only through Apple's automatic update feature as of press time, iTunes 7.6.1 addresses several unnamed bugs with the music software.



The fix also improves compatibility between iTunes and a networked Apple TV running the version 2.0 upgrade, Apple says.



Separately, Apple has also begun informing subscribers to its e-mail newsletters that it will offer a selected movie title each week at a 99-cent price, or a third of the price of a back catalog, standard-definition title. The first title is The Hours.



The movie's special pricing takes effect each Thursday and lasts until the following Monday, giving customers the opportunity to finish downloading and playing the movie before the weekend ends.



Apple has regularly offered discounts on music with its free weekly tracks, but until now has not supplied a regular discount on videos.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 44
    Oh, dear. These are desperation moves. Not good times ahead for Apple (short to mid term anyway).



    Once customers get used to discount pricing, it's impossible to go back.
  • Reply 2 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    Oh, dear. These are desperation moves. Not good times ahead for Apple (short to mid term anyway).



    Once customers get used to discount pricing, it's impossible to go back.



    Sorry, I don't agree, especially when they're only discounting ONE movie a week. Seems like a really good idea to get people to take the plunge and try the service out.



    Apple has had free and discounted music tracks for years, doesn't seem to hurt the business any.
  • Reply 3 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by minderbinder View Post


    Sorry, I don't agree, especially when they're only discounting ONE movie a week. Seems like a really good idea to get people to take the plunge and try the service out.



    Apple has had free and discounted music tracks for years, doesn't seem to hurt the business any.



    I agree. This is a great idea. A great way to get poeple to try it out and see how easy it is to rent a movie.
  • Reply 4 of 44
    Good idea to have 99 cent specials...you'd think the owners of old movies would cooperate and reduce prices on some of their old titles that otherwise wouldn't command much attention.



    As for not being able to go back, nonsense, itunes regularly offers a free song of the week or a free video or tv show, sometimes great sometimes not so great, but it hasn't stopped them from sell 4 billion songs.
  • Reply 5 of 44
    razorpitrazorpit Posts: 1,796member
    I hoope one of the "bug fixes" will finally allow me to sync iCal to my 3G Nano.
  • Reply 6 of 44
    This is exactly how I became addicted to itunes. You have to have an account to be able to get the free songs and once you get past that initial barrier it is so easy to continue purchasing media through itunes.



    *oh, and you have to keep your account paid off to get the free/discounted media (obvious I know but found this out by accident one time)
  • Reply 7 of 44
    irelandireland Posts: 17,799member
    Quote:

    The movie's special pricing takes effect each Thursday and lasts until the following Monday, giving customers the opportunity to finish downloading and playing the movie before the weekend ends.



    They would only have to download it before Monday, they could start watching it weeks later if they wished.
  • Reply 8 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    Oh, dear. These are desperation moves. Not good times ahead for Apple (short to mid term anyway).



    Once customers get used to discount pricing, it's impossible to go back.



    Dude, whatever crack you have been smokin, you need to gimme you supplies # quick! ...it must be some gooooooood shit!
  • Reply 9 of 44
    I wonder if they'll fix the issue so I can connect my iPod touch without seeing the thing asking about applications so i can't access my iPod.



    Absolute bullshit.
  • Reply 10 of 44
    Doesn't look desperate to me. It's a great idea. What a great traffic driver, pulling people in just to see what the movie is each week. Very smart.



    As long as I'm here: I don't think Apple is in a desperate situation in any way, shape, or form. I expect the stock to be back to the $200 neighborhood by Christmas.



    I've been buying since it hit $30, all the way up to $170. I have various lots, my biggest purchased at $60. And there's one thing that makes me think the stock has legs: People are switching to Mac at a phenomenal rate. People who I never could have imagined asking me about a Mac are switching. The rate is going to increase exponentially as the world realizes all their photos and Word docs work on a Mac.



    Every switcher is another iLife buyer down the road. Another OS X buyer. Another Applecare...
  • Reply 11 of 44
    backtomacbacktomac Posts: 4,579member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by theapplegenius View Post


    I wonder if they'll fix the issue so I can connect my iPod touch without seeing the thing asking about applications so i can't access my iPod.



    Absolute bullshit.



    I've that problem with my daughter's touch and its very annoying.
  • Reply 12 of 44
    I've been without sound for music videos until just now, glad that's finally fixed!



    it's still a bit jerky tho, scrolling up and down freezes up. resizing it results in some freezing issues, at least on a PC.



    just installed it on 2 pc's and 1 macbook. It took a lot less time to install on the Mac.
  • Reply 13 of 44
    I like the idea of 99 cent movies as it's a great compliment to the free song downloads. At a minimum, it will get people to log on every week to see what the 99 cent movie is.



    Nice move Apple.
  • Reply 14 of 44
    It'll be even better when the movie rentals don't hang my iTunes so I can actually watch them.
  • Reply 15 of 44
    boogabooga Posts: 1,082member
    More importantly, though, iTMS has put up the fabulous Renaldo Lapuz singing "Best Friends Forever" to Simon Cowell... for FREE! If that doesn't draw in the viewers I don't know what will.
  • Reply 16 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Separately, Apple has also begun informing subscribers to its e-mail newsletters that it will offer a selected movie title each week at a 99-cent price, or a third of the price of a back catalog, standard-definition title. The first title is The Hours.



    Actually the first title was last week, Breakfast at Tiffany's.
  • Reply 17 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by krankerz View Post


    Actually the first title was last week, Breakfast at Tiffany's.



    So im guessing its just gonna be older titles (however the one for this week is from 2002), not brande new ones?



    99 cents is still a great deal!



    edit: how will we keep track of which movies are 99 cents? iTunes doesn't seem to advertise it too well..
  • Reply 18 of 44
    they should all be 99 cents! after all its a non physical rental...



    thats my 0.2 cents
  • Reply 19 of 44
    i'm one of what appear to be MANY itunes users that have seen the app debilitated by the move to 7.6...



    none of my music files actually play anymore and you can't plug an ipod in for an update, b/c the whole thing crashes. ...and let me restate, the AAPL support discussion threads are littered with hundreds of folks experiencing the same thing. and those are the folks willing to take the time to publish their experience...



    looks like it was related to movie rentals and itunes needing to repeatedly catalog your video library. the fix AAPL suggested was to set up separate libraries...one for audio and one for video. don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like an elegant solution & not one many folks will put up with for long... hopefully this update obviates the need for such a workaround.
  • Reply 20 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by krankerz View Post


    Actually the first title was last week, Breakfast at Tiffany's.



    Still too expensive for George Kastanza!
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