Apple is in negotiations with 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers and Universal Studios to offer their movies as downloads through the Apple's high-traffic iTunes store. Apple chief and Disney director Steve Jobs is reportedly negotiating hard in LA to make the possibility a reality. The sticking point seems to be price and piracy issues. Jobs apparently wants a single price of $9.95 for all downloads whereas studio executives prefer a graduated price scale varying from a few dollars for unpopular releases to $19.95 for new releases. There is also the issue of piracy and how the downloaded movies can be protected from further and unauthorized distribution. As I have predicted in another article, I believe we'll soon start watching movies in all kinds of likely and unlikely places. A long flight without a movie is already an anomaly. But how about watching the newest flicks in (or on)... Laundromats? Restrooms? Public and school buses? Elevators? Sports arenas, ball parks and stadiums? Refrigerators and similar kitchen appliances? Bus and train stations? Post offices? Blimps? High-definition flat screens floating up in the sky? And with inclusion of Java code and wi-fi connection to the headquarters, these devices can send real-time feedback to the "mother company" so that the menu offerings could be dynamically changed to fit the current demand pattern. For example, on hot summer afternoons, train stations can offer more movies with plots involving cold climates or rainy Caribbean scenery, depending on the current temperature at the train station. In winter time, more hot-weather movies can be pumped through the network to maximize profits. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
