So Steve of the Jobs gave his big apple-fest keynote today, and introduced ANOTHER new ipod. What does this one do? Motherfucking VIDEO. It apparently will hold 60 GB, or something like 27 hours of MPEG-4 video. Oh, and when you want to show others the cool indie film you've been working on? Just go right ahead and PLUG IT INTO YOUR TV.
So to go with this, they open up a new section of iTunes, and just put 2,000 music videos in there, for 2 bucks apiece. Also, if music videos aren't your thing, just go ahead and download all of last night's new tv shows for 2 bucks an episode.
Seriously apple, I love you. I have no reason to own a mac, but i'm a hair's breadth away from buying an iPod. All i need is...er....400 bucks.
8 comments:
Also, either some record company paid a lot of money, or Steve just loves Gorillaz, 'cause it's playing Demon Days on every iPod promo there is.
It says a lot about Apple's marketing abilities that feezer, who probably has more free choices when it comes to media consumption than any of us will ever hope to, wants to buy their stuff... repeatedly.
I think almost all of this so far is bullshit. Um... who buys music videos? I enjoy watching well-directed ones (cf. that Michel Gondry DVD that seemed to be passed around a while ago) but I certainly wouldn't pay for them. TV episodes... eh.
I could see owning one of these iPods making sense for you auteurs out there... I guess. It takes 45 minutes to burn a DVD here at work, but then we have a piece of shit iMac.
I'm intrigued by the media center-ness of the new iMac, but not far enough to shell out >$1k for it. Tivo has some crazy deal now where you can get one for $50 after rebates... but then, isn't tivo a sinking ship?
I'm not really on board with the music video idea, for pretty much the same reasons klimas described, but i think being able to download eps of a tv show, through *legal* means, is an interesting idea.
As my media center may suggest, i'm really into the idea of "entertainment on demand", i.e. "hey, i want to watch an episode of scrubs right now, so i click a few buttons, and hey, i'm watching scrubs. Instead of new episodes "airing", they're "released" on a certain date, and people can watch them at their leisure. I design my own programming. I don't know why i have cable anymore, to be completely honest.
murky waters, dudes. i look at that new ipod and see vaguely professional applications. but if apple has crammed it into an ipod, there is most definitely a specialized piece of equipment designed to do more or less the same thing (only without bono singing its praises).
i feel out of touch with the very concept of t.v., mainly because fishel can summon (accio rome!) shit on his there digital cable without a second thought. if people are willing to pay for the priviledge of watching shows at their leisure, without ads, networks will catch on before too long. this $2 escapade is surely testing those waters; any success and five years from now you'll be watching ten minutes of compulsory advertising before you browse, web-style, through a bunch of raunchy new shows.
oh, and npr reported this morning that the apple board is disgruntled with jobs' commitment to keeping songs $.99. (keyboards don't have cent signs handy anymore...huh). their contract with the record companies comes up soon, and the apple board feels that they could press their advantage, because sales are slowing (or something boring like that). what the fuck. as if this wasn't the most successful (and profitable) use of the internet in history.
Yeah, that's one of the reasons i really applaud senor steve. Apparently the record companies approached him about changing their rates; charging more for new releases, popular songs, and such. Like, you'd pay .99 for something by, oh, i don't know, the explosion, but you'd pay 4 bucks for something by that there papa roach (dated reference, i know, but i haven't listened to the radio in like, 6 months...who's popular now, anyway?).
Essentially, jobs gave them the finger. Almost makes me want to buy a cd off of iTunes, just 'cause.
I was always curious how on-demand worked. I mean, i set up my own, for pretty much the same reason that fishel added on the capability to do so...to watch a show, whenever, without commercials. Hell, comcast is using it as a major selling point. The thing about that is, the only shows (as far as i know, correct me if i'm wrong) are pay-channel shows. So where does this leave the advertisers/networks? I mean, how do you respond to something like that? Users have already paid their premium for the networks your watching the on-demand shows from, so i think the marketing aspect of it works pretty well...Outside of passing fascinations to shows (and the fact that "My Name Is Earl" is fantastic), i don't really watch too much network TV anyhow...
Also, i think this post wins the gold star for "longest essay-comments of any blog post".
I was pondering things driving home tonight:
1.
The subscription model, I think, works for TV. According to iTunes, I have listened to "Sleeping Bear, Sault Saint Marie" by Sufjan Stevens 173 times... and I will probably enjoy listening to it in ten years. (Coming in at #2 is the main theme from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I like me some melancholy.)
I can't really see wanting to watch an episode of Scrubs, for example, more than twice. I bought the Futurama DVDs, but I probably watched each ep once and then threw the case onto my shelf and haven't watched them since.
My point is... cable is expensive, but not as expensive as buying programs a la carte.
2.
Apple used to innovate by creating nice interfaces for people to use computers. Now they innovate by coming up with things people never knew they wanted to buy.
I don't doubt that the video store will do moderately well, at least well enough to maybe hook in basic cable channels (i.e. Comedy Central is sitting on a goldmine with the Daily Show). Keep in mind, though, that the music store isn't a big breadwinner even though it's pretty popular.
3.
The minute Apple charges more than 99¢ per song is the minute the wheels fall off the wagon. Steve Jobs seems to know this.
4.
¢, by the way.
er... [ampersand]cent;
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