Apple launches iTunes movie rentals

by Brad Linder Jan 15th 2008

As had been widely expected, Apple today announced the availability of video rentals from the iTunes Store. Up until now you could only buy movies and TV shows, with no lower-priced rental option. Competitors like MovieLink, CinemaNow, and Amazon Unbox have been offering rentals for some time now, but none has become the household name that Apple's iTunes is.

Steve Jobs announced the move during his Macworld keynote today. Rentals are available starting today and about 1,000 films should be available from the iTunes store by the end of February. Apple will charge $2.99 for regular titles, $3.99 for new releases, and a dollar more for HD content.

Movies will be viewable for up to 24 hours, and you can start watching 30 seconds after your download begins (assuming you have a fast internet connection). Probably the coolest feature is that you'll be able to transfer rentals to an iPod or iPhone for viewing on the go. While other services offer portable viewing options for purchased movies, this is the only way to rent a movie and take it with you on an iPod.

In related news, Apple and Fox have announced a partnership to include digital copies of movies that you can manage with iTunes on all DVDs the studio releases.

Tags: iTunes, movies, online-video, rentals

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Superrrguy said 7:54PM on 1-15-2008

Why is 24 hours the norm for rentals?!?

This would be a good solution for traveling but if it expires after 24 hours, it's useless.

Has anyone every dropped a few more bucks to watch the same movie 5 days later? No one. Because if they didn't finish watching the movie for whatever reason (dead batery, falling asleep) they'll just wait for it come out on cable for free, so why not let the movie be watchable for 5 days?

Brad Hill said 8:31AM on 1-16-2008

Superrrguy -- it's 24 hours from when you first start watching it. You've got 30 days to start, before the file expires.

Not to say it isn't lame and derivative. Same pathetic user value as Starz and Vongo. I couldn't believe those frantic cheers that went up when Jobs was announcing this. I can only guess (and it's only a guess) that Mac isn't supported by Starz and Vongo, so Apple loyalists never experienced them, and don't know how far behind the curve Jobs is keeping them. But, of course, he's a visionary, etc etc..

James said 11:45AM on 1-16-2008

Hrm, I can pay 4 dollars to rent it from iTunes (or Unbox, for most movies, or I think XBLM), or I can pay 1 dollar to rent it from RedBox (FTMFW!), or I can now apparently pay 9 bucks a month and watch as many as I want from Netflix. I love the free market!

I know it will never happen given their market penetration, but I still hold out a sliver of hope that iTunes will one day crash and burn.

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