Do iPods portend the death of movie-going?
The Toronto Star ran an interesting article today suggesting that 2005 may have been the beginning of the end of the traditional movie-going experience. I've had the same thought recently as I downloaded interesting content for my iPod video and read multiple predictions that Apple would soon release a Mac-based home theater.
Why go to the trouble of driving to the movie theater, standing in line for tickets, taking the risk that a new movie will be sold out, paying robbers' prices for popcorn and soft drinks, sitting uncomfortably in a seat with broken springs behind a lady with very big hair, and trying to ignore the Surround Sound from the theater next door—all when you could be sitting in the comfort of your own home watching a movie on your own Mac theater system, or enjoying a portable show on your iPod?
The romantic notion that people will always go out to movie theaters has been proven wrong in the past, as the Toronto Star article points out. There was a decline in movie-going with the introduction of television, home videos, and movies on DVD. Apple's foray into video, with all it promises, may portend a further decline in movie-going. As sad as it may seem, this could indeed be the beginning of the end of the venerable movie theater. What do you think?
