So, 20th Century Fox is reportedly onboard, and other studios could very well be negotiating to offer movie rentals online through Apple's iTunes Music store.  Despite rumors of only 24 hours for rentals (say what?!), I think this is a great idea, and I'll tell you why.

Okay, besides the obvious option of watching them on your Mac or the AppleTV and iPods, let's say you're on a trip and you have your iPhone or iPod touch with wifi with you.  You can always download a movie to watch for the day or night.  I think that's very cool option.  Especially if you don't want to buy a movie (how about offering special features as downloads and program it to act like a DVD with menus, etc.), this is a great option.

But I say take a Netflix approach and allow a monthly subscription.  It may not work with music, but it certainly does with movies.  Plus, Netflix offers movies that can be viewed on your PC (Windows only, bummer), so how about you extend that offer to handheld devices without web support, like the regular iPods. 

Allow them a set amount of views, like three, instead of 24 hours.  Or if it has to be time-based, make it three days for new movies, a week for old ones.  I may buy an iPhone now with a movie rental option!  Heck, you can already download songs you hear in Starbucks!

Posted at 07:08PM Dec 30, 2007 by Heath McKnight in Entertain  |  Comments[1]