Apple launches unprecedented campaign across storefronts to hype iTunes debut of 'Star Wars'

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited April 2015
All six "Star Wars" films are being promoted and can be preordered from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store, as Apple is heavily hyping this Friday's digital debut of the legendary film series.




A new "Featured" section for "Star Wars" content can be found across all of Apple's major digital storefronts on both iOS and OS X. Tapping the advertisement brings users to a landing page with a plethora of "Star Wars" content available from across Apple's digital businesses.

The listing is particularly unique because it allows users to preorder the films from within the App Store or iBookstore. Typically, content from Apple's different storefronts is segregated, meaning movie purchases must be made from the iTunes Store and not the App Store.

Set to arrive on iTunes on Friday, all six films from the "Star Wars" saga are available to preorder for $19.99 each. They are:



Beyond the upcoming digital release of the films, Apple is also promoting the wide range of "Star Wars" content available from its other storefronts. Content based on the films is available in the form of apps, TV shows, music, ringtones, and books.

Disney announced on Monday that all six "Star Wars" films would go digital for the first time this week. The movies are not exclusive to Apple, as they will be available on other storefronts such as Google Play and Xbox Video.

When they launch on Friday, customers will not be able to rent the films, as they are only available for purchase. And the digital release represents the "Special Edition" versions of the film, with enhanced special effects and new scenes that have been derided by some "Star Wars" purists.
«134

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 65
    joelsaltjoelsalt Posts: 827member

    I've already bought the entire series on VHS (originals only, as they were the only ones that existed) and Blu-Ray (which I regret).  Even though I'd prefer this digital version for utility, I really don't want to pay 3 times for the same movies (although, knowing Lucas he changed a bunch of stuff for the iTunes version)

  • Reply 2 of 65
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Episodes 1, 2 & 3 do not exist for me.

    It should be noted that a series of new comic books will be released, tying together the 30-year gap between the end of ROTJ and The Force Awakens.
  • Reply 3 of 65
    Episodes 1, 2 & 3 do not exist for me.

    It should be noted that a series of new comic books will be released, tying together the 30-year gap between the end of ROTJ and The Force Awakens.

    Those must be fan films or something. Attack of the Clones? Huh.

    And the comics are stupid. Thrawn Trilogy wins by default.
  • Reply 4 of 65

    No original unaltered trilogy? No thanks.

     

    I have a LaserDisc set in storage. Time to dust it off and digitize it.

  • Reply 5 of 65
    Holy Cow, they are charging $120 for all 6 movies, only $90 on Amazon, but even that is insane.
  • Reply 6 of 65
    dimmokdimmok Posts: 359member

    Purchase, I will not. Too expensive right now. Wait I will, for the bundle price. Hopefully at the 60 buck mark.

  • Reply 7 of 65
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleZilla View Post

     

    No original unaltered trilogy? No thanks.

     

    I have a LaserDisc set in storage. Time to dust it off and digitize it.


     

    Harmy's Star Wars Despecialized Edition is fantastic.  I strongly suggest you track it down.

  • Reply 8 of 65
    wurm5150wurm5150 Posts: 763member
    Finally!!! But I'll for a while to see and hope they bundle all six films at a cheaper price.
  • Reply 9 of 65
    dimmok wrote: »
    Purchase, I will not. Too expensive right now. Wait I will, for the bundle price. Hopefully at the 60 buck mark.

    Your "Yoda speak" comment was almost perfect. . Just need the end to solidify.

    Here let me help you out.

    Yoda looks across the swamp
    "Purchase, I will not. Too expensive right now it is. Wait I will, for the bundle price. 60 buck mark, is our only hope."

    Obi-wan appears

    "These Special Editons aren't worth the effort. Those aren't the movies you're looking for. The moment they were released, I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. George Lucas... You will never find a more wretched man of scum and villainy."

    Yoda,

    "Shut up, you will. OOYL"
  • Reply 10 of 65
    I never bought the Blu-Ray versions. And now I never have to. Thanks, Apple. Cloud content is the future.
  • Reply 11 of 65
    hodarhodar Posts: 357member
    If the 'revised' editions removed Jar-jar .... maybe ....
  • Reply 12 of 65
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    sog35 wrote: »
    Then you are living in a dream world.

    Trust me, it's better here without them.

    The prequels I always imagined as a youth followed the adventures of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi as fighter pilots during the Clone Wars, in a sort of World War I setting (remember that much of the imagery and theme of the "original trilogy" came from WWII dogfights). Back in the 70s of course no one knew what were the Clone Wars or who was involved. By the end of the third movie, the audience should have had the impression that Obi-Wan and Anakin were still good friends or that Anakin apparently lost his life to Darth Vader, which would've maintained the shocks revealed in Empire. There was never a need to see Anakin as a child and the audience never needed to see Anakin become Vader. Lucas screwed the storyline up because he didn't care about any of it anymore. The guy got rich and he lost interest. It's a shame he didn't sell his company after Return of the Jedi.
  • Reply 13 of 65
    dugbugdugbug Posts: 283member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post



    Episodes 1, 2 & 3 do not exist for me.

     

     

    Empire strikes back ftw

  • Reply 14 of 65
    joelsaltjoelsalt Posts: 827member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by joelsalt View Post

     

    I've already bought the entire series on VHS and Blu-Ray (which I regret).  Even though I'd prefer this digital version for utility, I really don't want to pay 3 times for the same movies (although, knowing Lucas he changed a bunch of stuff for the iTunes version)


     

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    With a blu-ray version I own the content and can share it with anyone I please.  Plus it has superior video and true uncompressed audio.


    Until your blu-ray player goes caput in 7 years and they've stopped making them!

  • Reply 15 of 65
    knowitallknowitall Posts: 1,648member
    Advice for Apple:
    Offer the latest movies for rent at the same time they are released and iTunes will be an incredible success.
    (The price must of course be below $5 for this to work.)
    Forget about selling movies, that won't work.
  • Reply 16 of 65
    conrailconrail Posts: 489member

    They need to sell a bundle in the "Machete Order", 4-5-2-3-6.  

  • Reply 17 of 65
    joelsaltjoelsalt Posts: 827member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    until I ripped my bluray onto a harddrive and saved in a cloud




    How is this different from owning it on iTunes?  Unless your digital blu-ray ripped library is just like 50 TB of data?

     

    edit: also, if your concern is "owning" the blu-ray versus the "licensing" of digital content, then isn't ripping the blu-ray illegal (because you have to decrypt the blu-ray to do it)?  Or is that only in Canada?

  • Reply 18 of 65
    isteelersisteelers Posts: 738member
    Those must be fan films or something. Attack of the Clones? Huh.

    And the comics are stupid. Thrawn Trilogy wins by default.

    Those were great books. Too bad they killed GA Thrawn off. As for the movies, it's a shame the couldn't release the un-special additions. Han did shoot first.
  • Reply 19 of 65
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
  • Reply 20 of 65
    redefilerredefiler Posts: 323member
    Why are the Star Wars graphics so crappy for iTunes? It shouldn't be that hard to photoshop together good looking SW banners. Even the individual movie thumbnails are horribly composed. The episode names at the bottom are unforgivably bad design, they don't even need to be there, since the movie name pops up below.

    I'm guessing this is a Disney whiff. If you look at their AppleTV icons they are also a crime committed by the same clueless designer. Each one has "watch" written across the icon, cluttering up their own channel logos. Pretty sure even the dumbest of children can figure out that DisneyXD is for "watching"... ya know... like on the TV.

    Gunna have to force choke Goofie at the next shareholders meeting.
Sign In or Register to comment.