Apple TV update and iTunes rental movies
There's been a lot of rumours (or should I say hope?) that Apple might release an updated Apple TV at Macworld 08 (as well as ultra portable laptops, new cinema displays, etc, etc). Do you really think Apple will release an updated Apple TV? I dont. Apple are quickly making agreements with the big boy media co's (fox, etc) to provide rental movies through iTunes (and of course to your iPod or Apple TV). This will mean you will be able to have a "pay per view" option to watch movies right from your lounge chair, on your Apple TV. There's even talk that Apple will be taking a hit on deals (reduce their own profits) so they can satisfy the greedy pockets of the media giants. Lots of people are hoping for high def downloads too. I do not think Apple will be releasing "HD" rental movies. I believe we will see "dvd quality" rentals. Not everyone has super-awesome internet link speeds to download HD content. I could be wrong, but hey, we all need to speculate. Apple need to target the widest possible audience. Why would Apple update the Apple TV? We might see a software update, however I don't see them releasing a totally awesome all-in-one tv recorder, digital set-top-box, Full HD super Apple TV in the near future. I watch < 1Gig movies on my ATV, usually in DivX or MP4 format. I have ripped my entire collection of DVD's to a hard disk which is plugged into my ATV (over 800 movies at my fingertips, don't even ask how long it took to do!) To be honest, I'm not getting excited about Apple's latest "movie rental" plans. Heck, we cant even purchase or download TV shows and movies from iTunes in Australia yet! We can only buy music. Perhaps if Apple announce something in Australia I will have something to get excited about. People are concerned about rental costs, duration of rental, etc. I'm not worried. Apple have an army of analysts to make the right decisions, and the way Apple have been going in the last few years, I'd say they will get it right.
