Apple well shy of movie rental goals

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Comments

  • Reply 61 of 67
    filburtfilburt Posts: 398member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mr. H View Post


    Hear! Hear!



    The article should be corrected.



    If AppleInsider's previous effort on Apple TV is any indication, it won't be corrected. AI has limited understanding of home theater, so I would take any home theater related AI articles with a grain of salt.
  • Reply 62 of 67
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,625member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by minderbinder View Post


    Well, I definitely blame apple for making a promise before the deals were signed. To the consumer, selection is important. Nobody really cares about "giving in more", the product with less selection is less appealing. If apple is going to enter this market, they need to *compete* in this market, not make excuses.



    I don't know what deals were signed. Do you?
  • Reply 63 of 67
    virgil-tb2virgil-tb2 Posts: 1,416member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Whether this a problem on Apple's end or reneging by the content providers (as the number of total movies was just over 800 at one point) this makes Apple look bad,



    Indeed. Apple is failing quite badly on actually getting the content into it's iTunes store. What goes for movies goes five times over for music. They are very very lucky that even with all the bad press and people jumping on their every mistake lately, that no one in the press seems to have tumbled to this yet.



    Consider for instance their promise to add things to the International stores, they have failed quite miserably on this front. In Canada there are no movies at all and only a few TV shows, almost all of which are actually from the USA. It's pretty clear that Apple has failed to convince any of the Canadian networks and media owners to actually put content into the store. CBC has put up a few (mostly failing) shows to see if they can drum up interest but that's it.



    Consider also the DRM fiasco. We heard last year that EMI was going DRM free, but the majority of their iTunes catalogue is still infested with it. As someone who refuses to buy DRM'ed music I check the iTunes store every single day for new iTunes Plus music. Guess what? It doesn't show up at all. Since last year, all that has been added is a handful of really awful and/or promotional titles from obscure bands that need a boost. The music companies are still holding out on any of their main holdings.



    Despite all the cool new technology, if Apple can't get some content in the store they will be in trouble the day some enterprising reporter decides to notice the fact and publicise it. So far they have been saved by the fact that there is a *trickle* of things in the US store, but all it will take is a reputable foreign source to make an issue out of it and Apple will look foolish big time.
  • Reply 64 of 67
    I think it's more than possible that the studios promised enough titles to fulfill that prediction, and now are dragging their feet to make Apple look bad, while giving sweetheart deals to Amazon, et. al.
  • Reply 65 of 67
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BRussell View Post


    If you go to the All Rentals category on the front movies page in iTunes, it will show pages in blocks of 21 movies (7x3). Right now there are 14 pages, which puts it at under 300 movies available for rent by that count. Counting All Movies - including those only available for purchase and not for rent - gives you 38 pages, which is just under 800.



    The Power Search method seems to work better. I count just over 400 (I think it was 150+149+118).



    My "video system" at home currently consists of an 800x600 projector, Directivo (not HD), DVDs via my Macbook, and downloaded video via my Macbook.



    I'm seriously considering dropping the Directv and going with Apple TV. I would lose live TV, but gain all that time I normally spend flipping channels hunting for something worthy to watch. In other words, I'd be forced to watch less TV, which is a good thing.
  • Reply 66 of 67
    minderbinderminderbinder Posts: 1,703member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by melgross View Post


    I don't know what deals were signed. Do you?



    No, I didn't say I did.



    I'm not sure what your point is. Apple made a forecast, they shouldn't have made it until things were official (in whatever way they had to be official) and they knew they could meet it.



    They counted their chickens before they hatched, to use the old cliché.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatesbasher View Post


    I think it's more than possible that the studios promised enough titles to fulfill that prediction, and now are dragging their feet to make Apple look bad, while giving sweetheart deals to Amazon, et. al.



    That's definitely possible. But assuming that's the case, apple should have known better than to make public promises based on studio "promises" made without a solid commitment (with consequences) to back them up.



    It's just common sense not to make promises where delivery is contingent on third parties cooperating.
  • Reply 67 of 67
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,625member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by minderbinder View Post


    No, I didn't say I did.



    I'm not sure what your point is.



    You said they should have signed the deals before making the announcement. Unless you know what deals they signed, you don't know if they did, or didn't, sign the proper deals first. That's all.



    Quote:

    Apple made a forecast, they shouldn't have made it until things were official (in whatever way they had to be official) and they knew they could meet it.



    And no doubt they had good reason the believe they would meet their forecast.



    Quote:

    They counted their chickens before they hatched, to use the old cliché.



    This is the same problem they had with IBM, when they also forecast that we would get 3 GHz processors in a year?even before a year. There's also no doubt that IBM assured them that it would happen, but it didn't. Every processor manufacturer got burned on 90 nm.



    These things happen.



    Quote:

    That's definitely possible. But assuming that's the case, apple should have known better than to make public promises based on studio "promises" made without a solid commitment (with consequences) to back them up.



    It's just common sense not to make promises where delivery is contingent on third parties cooperating.



    We don't know the consequences of the failure of the studios to have a sufficient number of films available. There could be penalties.



    I do agree that is was a mistake to "promise" the number they did. I would have said that Apple hoped to have that number available by the end of February.
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