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99Rental.com keeps track of the iTunes weekly movie special
A while back we noted that Apple had introduced a weekly movie rental special in the iTunes store for 99 cents. Each week there's a new movie available at the special rate (Changing Lanes [iTunes link] this week), but until now there hadn't really been a convenient way to keep track of them.Enter 99rental.com, a new site that simply lists each $0.99 movie as it comes available, with the standard iTunes plot summaries and accompanying iTunes links. Add the RSS feed to your aggregator or subscribe by email and you'll never miss out on that week's special. And since you have 30 days to watch after renting, this makes it easy to grab anything you think you might watch in that period.Thanks Damien!
iTunes, number 2 with a bullet
I have an iPod, an iPhone, an Apple TV, and I manage all my music with iTunes as I am sure many, many other people out there do as well. Why do I mention this? Because some of my purchases (and yours too) contributed to making the iTunes Store the second largest music retailer in the US (according to NPD data) in 2007. That's right, iTunes is second only to Wal-Mart in sales of music (though the iTunes Store does lack those greeters that make shopping at Wal-Mart so pleasant). Let's take a moment to reflect on this. Less than 10 years ago the idea that the second largest retailer of music wouldn't have a single brick and mortar store would seem ridiculous. Today, it is a reality and digital distribution can only get bigger. We're living in the future, I tells ya.Apple also mentions that people downloaded over 20 million tracks on Christmas day alone. iTunes does face some tough competition (I'm a big fan of Amazon MP3), but the ease of use and integration with the iPod/iPhone really makes the iTunes Store a force to be reckoned with.Thanks, zx.
Apple, Starbucks sued over iTunes promotion cards
AppleInsider is reporting that Apple and Starbucks are being sued because of their recent iTunes promotion cards. James and Marguerite Driessen claim to hold a patent on, what they call "RPOS" (or retail point of sale for online merchandising). The patent in question allows customers to buy a gift card from brick-and-mortar stores and then go home and redeem the card online. However, Apple has an excuse, because while the Driessens' patent was under review, Apple developed their own similar concept for redeeming the iTunes gift cards. Apple's gift cards allow a person to enter a code on the iTunes Store and receive a whole artist's album, along with the artwork. However, due to legal pressure from the Driessens, Apple apparently pulled the iTunes gift cards from the stores, but left them in UK Stores. Now, here's where this may get a little sticky. I've been wondering why this is only affecting the Apple iTunes cards. Why aren't other gift card manufacturing companies getting hit with this suit? This patent application seems to describe pretty much every gift card that I have seen; such as those credit-card-gift-cards that you can buy at most malls -- you can also use those online as a credit card. And not to mention those Zune music cards! What do you think? Should Apple be forced to remove their cards that provide convenience to customers, or should they fight back? Be sure to sound off in the comments below![via AppleInsider]
iTunes Store adds 99 cent weekly movie rental specials
Along with the iTunes update we noted earlier, Apple has introduced a new weekly special movie rental for 99 cents. Macrumors reports that each Thursday Apple will make available a new movie at the special price, good until the following Monday. You'll have the standard 30 days to watch it. The first special this week is The Hours (iTunes link).This looks like a clever move to jump start the movie rental business. We can only hope that they'll also consider adding HD versions through Apple TV as well.[via Infinite Loop]
iTunes Rental availability outperforms promises
Many of our readers are noticing that rental titles reach iTunes more quickly than expected. Didn't Apple promise new titles 30 days after the DVD release? TUAW reader Robbie Taylor wrote in to let us know that Michael Clayton hit the iTunes "shelves" within just a day or so of its February 19th store release. Is this something that you're seeing as well? Let us know in the comments.
Renting a movie in iTunes
Five years ago, my wife and I often rented movies. "I think I'll get a movie on the way home from work," I'd think. It was spontaneous and simple. Then it happened.We had children.To say that parenthood is life-changing is like saying the sun is hot. While we were busily trying to keep a brand new human being alive (incidentally, there's no manual -- not even a supplement from Pogue -- the UI stinks and unexpected core dumps are frequent), anything as trivial as bringing home a copy of Dumb & Dumber fell off the radar completely.I miss the simplicity of watching a movie minutes after realizing I'd like to, and being rid of it when I'm through. Since we abandoned the brick-and-mortar video store, that scenario has eluded us.
Apple officially cuts DRM-free track prices to $.99
In a move which can only be described as unsurprising, Apple has officially announced plans to lower the price of its iTunes Plus offerings (AKA iTunes sans-DRM) to $.99, instead of the higher-priced premium of $1.29. Old Jobsy claims that the decision was made due to the popularity of the unlocked, higher quality tracks with customers, saying, "It's been very popular with our customers, and we're making it even more affordable." Of course, it also seems likely that iTunes and Apple are feeling the burn from the new wave of DRM-free music providers, like Amazon, and the persistent rumors / news of former playmate Universal amassing an "anti-iTunes" which could seriously compete with the Cupertino monolith's business. Sure, it's the third-largest retailer of music in the US, but there's always someone creeping up from behind -- just ask Irv Gotti.Update: Apple press release makes it really, really, super duper official.
Apple lowering DRM-free tracks to $0.99 -- embracing Indies?
The rumors are rampant this morning about an imminent, cross-the-board iTunes Plus (DRM-free) price cut. Previously, all Plus tracks had been listed at $1.29, not the usual $0.99 for DRM "protected" media. That premium delivers 256kbps quality tracks for you to play on any device supporting AAC playback. Of these tracks, nearly all were from EMI or just a handful of Indies. Now, presumably in response to launch of Amazon's MP3 store which prices DRM-free tracks at $0.89 or $0.99, Apple appears ready to cut the price of all Plus tracks to $0.99. As the rumor goes, we should see more Indie's shed their DRM sometime this week, if not today.[Via MacRumors]
Gear Live reviews Starbucks on Wi-Fi iTunes
Today is October 2nd, the official launch of the Wi-Fi iTunes Store for Starbucks in Seattle and New York City. The folks at Gear Live live in Seattle, and were among the first to try the new service.It seems to work well. Upon launching iTunes on a laptop, they were automatically connected with full access to the iTunes Store (Plus some additional Starbucks content). A prominent "currently playing track" banner is updated dynamically, and the ten most recently played tracks are a click away.They had similar luck with an iPhone. The Starbucks logo was in place in the Wi-Fi iTunes store, and clicking it displayed the same content as the laptop version.If you're in Seattle or New York, please share your experiences. The rest of us can only wait.[Via MacDailyNews]
New NBC shows are in iTunes Store (sort of)
Update: As our commenters have pointed out, the two premieres now appearing in the iTunes store -- although broadcast by NBC in the US -- are actually produced by other studios such as Fox and Warner Brothers. Since the online distribution rights are separate from the broadcast rights, it would seem that the content owners are more than happy to have their shows sold in iTunes. Unfortunately for fans of Heroes, Law & Order, The Office and 30 Rock, all those shows are produced by NBC/Universal and they are, as expected, not updating with the current season's content.Original post: When NBC announced their intention to pull their content from the US iTunes Store by December, Apple promised to make that happen much sooner:"Apple has decided to not offer NBC TV shows for the upcoming television season beginning in September."A few hours later, NBC stated that their new shows will be available in the US iTunes Store. Today, I found Journeyman [iTunes link] and Chuck [iTunes link], two brand new shows, ready to go. I bet other hits like My Name is Earl and The Office, which premiere on Thursday night, will also be posted. Why? I imagine a boardroom conversation that sounded something like this: NBC Exec. A: Heh. We showed them. We'll make a bundle on the new stuff and then, bam! We slam the door in December. Cha-ching! NBC Exec. B: Um, sir? They're going to pull all of our stuff immediately. No new shows. NBC Exec. A: *Wilhelm scream* B-But, they can't do that. NBC Exec. B: It's done, sir. NBC Exec. A: Damn. Get Jobs on the phone. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Amazon MP3: a quick review
Being the intrepid blogger that I am, I thought I would go ahead and give Amazon's new MP3 store a whirl, since it works with iTunes and offers up high quality DRM-free MP3 files. What better way to compare and contrast the Amazon experience to the iTunes Store experience than purchasing the same song? The song in question is Rehab by Amy Winehouse (mostly because it was the first song that caught my eye on Amazon's page, and I enjoy it whenever I hear it).
Apple issues iTunes Store credits
The Apple Blog is reporting that Apple has begun issuing Apple Store credit for customers who had trouble getting songs last week.It seems that several customers were unable to download purchased songs, despite having provided a valid credit card number. Specifically, Apple has issued an email that reads, "Please accept the following Five Song Credits as an apology for the delay in receiving your purchase. These credits are good for five songs of your choice from the iTunes Store."Have any of you received this message, or made use of your credits?
iPhone $100 credit can be used for iTunes gift cards
Chris Tutor, from our sister blog Autoblog, emailed us a link to this Bloomberg article about the $100 iPhone credit (you have yours, right?). The first thing many people wanted to know about the credit was, 'Can I buy stuff from the iTunes store with it?' A quick look at the FAQ would make you think this is not possible, but Bloomberg spoke with an Apple rep who clarified the whole thing.Here's the lowdown: you can't apply the $100 credit directly to your iTunes account, but you can swagger into any Apple Store, or log onto the online store, and buy yourself a $100 (or less) iTunes Gift Card. The only question that remains is, what are you going to spend all that loot at iTunes?Update: Several people in the comments, and on other blogs, wrote me to let me know that this post is just plain wrong. It is not incorrect, the iPhone credit can be used for iTunes Gifts Cards NOT iTunes electronic gift certificates. I just purchased a $25 gift card from the online Apple store using my credit.
iTunes Store having issues?
Apple might have pleasantly surprised a few people today by shipping out the iPod touch earlier than expected, but that's being a bit overshadowed by issues plaguing the iTunes Store: users are reporting that purchased content isn't downloading, and that iTunes is popping up error messages saying that it's "unable to check for purchases." No word on what's causing the problems -- we're betting it has something to do with the launch of the iTunes WiFi Music Store, which hasn't gone live on the iPod touch or shown up on the iPhone yet -- but that doesn't make it any less annoying.[Via iLounge]
Apple adds "Top Ringtones" feature to iTunes store (US)
Just 24 hours after enabling ringtones in the US iTunes store, Apple has added a "Top Ringtones" tracker [iTunes link] to the front page. As of this writing, Nickleback has a lock on the #1 slot [iTunes link]. This demonstrates that someone is buying these (just not very many TUAW readers). I'll admit that the next time my iPhone rings, everyone around me will be treated to Eddie Van Halen's solo from Unchained. I hope they like it.[Via Twitter]
Fox: We'll keep our content in iTunes
Following NBC's split with Apple, NewsCorp (Fox's parent) has announced their intention to keep top shows like 24 and Prison Break in the iTunes Store. According to president Peter Chernin, his company's relationship with Apple is just peachy:"Right now we have a perfectly good relationship with Apple."But don't get a warm fuzzy in your heart just yet. While things are good, they could be better. Cherin adds that NewsCorp wants more control over the cost of their content - an opinion other media outlets share, most notably NBC.Most of my friends offer the media giants the same response: "If I don't get it from iTunes, I'll get it somewhere else," with "somewhere else" meaning "torrent." [Via AppleInsider]
TUAW Poll: Will you purchase iTunes ringtones?
iTunes ringtones officially became available in the US iTunes store late last night (or early this morning, depending on where you live). It looks like fun, but will cost you another buck. Considering that you can make your own (until Apple breaks this routine again), we're wondering: Will you buy iTunes ringtones?Take our informal poll and check back tomorrow for the results.%Poll-2949%
Apple and Starbucks, sitting in a tree
The most surprising announcement to come out of this afternoon's press conference was Apple's partnership with Starbucks. The new iPods and WiFi iTunes store were always possibilities. The Starbucks deal was unexpected.My initial reaction was amusement: Well, that's a silly thing! But now I get it. They've turned something that costs Starbucks money into an opportunity for profit.Consider music videos. Five years ago, there were pricey ads that consumers got for free and generated no income. Yes, you may argue that they influence the sale of albums and concert tickets, but in and of themselves, music videos weren't making money.Now Apple sells videos in the iTunes store. People pay to watch the advertisements. Retail chains pay a fee for the music they pipe into their stores. Just like the music videos, Apple has created a profit opportunity for Starbucks (and themselves, of course).Still think it's silly? Imagine when ten retailers are on board. Or twenty. Or television networks. Grey's Anatomy ends with a description of the week's featured pop tune. Why not grab it then and there?When this catches on, it will be big.
Mass-media mess-up: NBC doesn't get the iTunes store
Within the last week, news that Apple and NBC had failed to renew their agreement for TV show distribution via the iTunes Store is undoubtedly big news. An NBC Universal spokesman has been quoted by the New York Times as claiming that the iTunes Store's raison d'etre "[The iTunes Store] is designed to drive sales of Apple devices at the expense of those who create the content that make these devices worth buying." In some regards, it is a fair point: Apple needs content to offer so as to allow it to continue marketing and developing new iPods. But at what price? Setting a price at resale, or retail for that matter, and then raising it is not only unreasonable, but generally not accepted by us, the paying customer. In an age where we routinely put up with the demands of the networks and labels, and their interesting ideas on DRM, in order to legitimately obtain content online the prices that Apple touted as NBC's preference are simply unacceptable. Sure, variable pricing sounds fair, in theory, but cynics of NBC's supposed "variable pricing" (I include myself in this group) argue that giving the network carte blanche with pricing would not, in fact, lead to any cheaper content - such is the distrust held against the media companies.
NBC responds: nuh-uh
This is turning into a regular soap opera. First NBC Universal says it's not renewing its iTunes Store contract with Apple. Then Apple responds with a press release saying NBC wanted to double the wholesale pricing for shows, which would push per episode prices to $4.99. Now NBC is back saying that isn't true, that they only wanted "flexibility in wholesale pricing, including the ability to package shows together in ways that could make our content even more attractive for consumers." Further they complain that Apple is more interested in making money on hardware than money for content provider (no, who would have thought that Apple wants to make money for itself rather than other people). Anyway they emphasize that NBC shows will be available until December, and they left open the possibility that a new contract might be negotiated in the meantime. In general I think it's unseemly for companies to air their dirty laundry in public like this, but I'm starting to get the sense that this is a negotiating tactic on both sides. Personally I have the sneaking suspicion that something will get worked out before December.[via Engadget]
