Apple Needs to Add More Rental Titles

When Steve Jobs announced movie rentals for iTunes and Apple TV, he promised 1,000 titles in the first month. We’re at less than 400 and it is easily apparent to anyone with an Apple TV that you need probably more like 10,000 to make it a decent service.
The whole idea of being able to have a library on demand in your living room is great. I love it. I can’t wait. But it has to really be a library. I really need to be able to have a good chance of finding a movie that I want to watch. As it is, I’ve only watched three movies, and only one of those three was something I really wanted to see. The other two were opportunities to use the service. Now it has been 2 weeks and I have no interest (or have already seen or own on DVD) the rest of the catalog. Meanwhile, my wife and I have thrown out dozens of ideas on various evenings of movies we’d like to see. Things from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Nothing too unusual, really. But we didn’t find them on Apple TV, so on the Tivo wish-list they went.
Apple should really work at getting the back catalogs of the major studios online. As it is, any new buzz from Apple TV take 2 is already fading. It may be too late to save Apple TV, after a brief moment where it looked like it might succeed.

Comments: One Response to “Apple Needs to Add More Rental Titles”

    Beverly
    17 years ago

    If the only reason you got the Apple TV was to rent movies then maybe you shouldn't have bought it.

    I got an Apple TV because I see it as a long awaited bridge that links my computer(s) to my home entertainment center (HEC).

    I have no idea where you came up with the number 400. Using the Browse command in iTunes on my computer it is hard to come up with an accurate count because the movies are only listed by genre and there are some cross-genre duplicates and some purchasable (wow, just looked it up, that is a word) movies thrown in. Is it 400? Who cares?

    I have rented a couple but primarily I have been renting some of my old favorites from our local cheap rental stores and using Handbrake putting them on my Apple TV. It is for personal use, Is it legal?

    I can listen and control my music from the HEC rather than using AirTunes which still requires controlling it from the computer

    I never got into watching Podcasts on my computer and didn't really intend to get into watching them on my Apple TV. But I was pleasantly surprised at the quantity and quality of some of them.

    YouTube. What can I say, you get what you pay for. But some of them are just so funny you watch them no matter how bad the video.

    Sure it can be improved but I think Apple is doing a good job in spite of the Studio, Network, and Music Industry execs whose only interest is squeezing every nickel out of the consumer.

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