Apple movie downloads (US only) & network media player (yawn)

[Bob Crabtree]

In days gone by, Apple wore a cloak of confidentiality that kept forthcoming new products secret until they were formally announced. Today, that cloak is in tatters. Or is it? Perhaps, instead, the company has simply learned from political spin-doctors the usefulness of timely leaks. And some early good news certainly would have been helpful to dispel the shadow cast by Apple's recent massive laptop-battery recall.

Long before CEO Steve Jobs stepped onto the stage on Tuesday (September 12) at a "special event" in San Francisco timed to co-incide with the Apple Expo in Paris, the news he was set to announce about the company offering movie downloads from the US iTunes store (and only the US iTunes store for now) had been three around the internet and was tucked up having a little rest somewhere.

More in this HEXUS.lifestyle.opinion.

[Supermagicmatt]

What an anti-climax. A video service I cant use and a network media player that will be overpriced and forever delayed while the 802.11n standard is finalised.

I was looking foward to some kind of Apple PMP

[awm]

zzz...zzz, oh sorry, fell asleap from the Apple "news". Completly agree with you Bob about the news only being of interest to devout Jobsism followers and anyone buying an iPod this month (next month no doubt a new firmware will be marketed as the best thing since sliced bread).

[MSIC]

I have to disagree.
What Apple are doing, what Apple usually manage to do, it to repackage something that already exists and provides possibly less functionality to the technically literate but make it accessible and attractive to the masses.
I don't care who's badge is on the device, if the whole world starts to think about media streaming (wireless or not) then i think we all end up benefitting.

[Bob Crabtree]

I have to disagree.
What Apple are doing, what Apple usually manage to do, it to repackage something that already exists and provides possibly less functionality to the technically literate but make it accessible and attractive to the masses.
I don't care who's badge is on the device, if the whole world starts to think about media streaming (wireless or not) then i think we all end up benefitting.

In many ways, you are right, and when Apple starts pushing its iTV product - whatever it's called at the time - I'm sure that will act as a generic advertising campaign for all network media players.

[moofoo]

"we" forgot to mention that the "story" was written on a cheap dell machine running vista rc1 and microsoft office 2003 patched edition... it runs pretty good sometimes. and "we" can't wait to check out Zune when it comes out. it's going to be awesome and integrate tightly with microsoft office, windows media player and the new calculator application that comes with vista rc2. or btw "we" think hexus rules and it has these writers with original opinion to die for... lol too...

[Bob Crabtree]

"we" forgot to mention that the "story" was written on a cheap dell machine running vista rc1 and microsoft office 2003 patched edition... it runs pretty good sometimes. and "we" can't wait to check out Zune when it comes out. it's going to be awesome and integrate tightly with microsoft office, windows media player and the new calculator application that comes with vista rc2. or btw "we" think hexus rules and it has these writers with original opinion to die for... lol too...

You confuse the writings of someone who is totally platform agnostic, with your own mirror-image, a Windows bigot (of which, percentage wise, there seem to be far fewer, for some reason).

In terms of computers, my view is that they are simply tools - not something that anyone in their right mind would use to define themselves or their way of life.

If a Mac were the best tool for a particular job, I'd use it happily.

But would you come to an equally logical conclusion if a Windows PC turned out to be the best tool for a particular job you needed to do?

As for Zune - that will get a damn good kicking from me if it deserves it, just as I've given Microsoft plenty of good kickings in the past (and Intel and anyone else, I'd thought merited it).

Yes, I do dare question the faith you'd appear to hold so dear, but it might pay you to read some of my other stuff before jumping to completely unfounded conclusions.

[Bob Crabtree]

According to Reuters, Walt Disney had sold more than 125,000 movies via Apple's iTunes Store before the movie-download service had been running for a week.

Not sure quite what to read into it - whether the downloads will continue at this pace, accelerate or fall off (and a lot of that may depend on other movie studios coming onboard) but check out Reuters' story for yourselves and let us know your thoughts.

[moofoo]

But would you come to an equally logical conclusion if a Windows PC turned out to be the best tool for a particular job you needed to do?

sure. like what?!

[Bob Crabtree]

sure. like what?!

So that's a "no", then, is it?

[moofoo]

So that's a "no", then, is it?

i didn't say no. i asked for an exmple...

[Bob Crabtree]

I just asked a simple question that you still haven't answered.

So, let's try again.

If a Windows PC turned out to be the best tool for a particular job you needed to do, would you use it?

Y/N

[moofoo]

If a Windows PC turned out to be the best tool for a particular job you needed to do, would you use it?
Y/N

that's a trick question. if i say 'yes' then i'd be probably lieing. if i say "no" then you win, right?!

the correct answer to this is: depends. depends what the task is and how would other platforms be inferior to the microsoft one. in 15 years of dealing with machines/platforms of any kind every day i have yet to find a task that windows would do better or faster then a *nix or mac (now unix in the core) machine....

so to return to the question itself - my answer is still the same:
yes, i will if you can give me an example of what that task might be. otherwise i wont really have a reason to try and see if i can answer with just Y/N... because in my own opinion there isn't such a task. but that doesn't mean "no".. yet...

[directhex]

in 15 years of dealing with machines/platforms of any kind every day i have yet to find a task that windows would do better or faster then a *nix or mac (now unix in the core) machine....

"play half-life 2"?

[moofoo]

"play half-life 2"?

that's nice.... and original... not in the "task" category...

[Steve B]

it is for people who work at valve