“The new ‘X-Men’ movie and television shows like ’24’ are coming to a computer near you. Fox will tap into a platform now used to sell video games and let visitors buy movies and television shows that they can download for computer playback and transfer to devices running Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)’s Windows Media Player technology,” Anick Jesdanun reports for The Associated Press. “Movies available in October include ‘X-Men: The Last Stand,’ ‘Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties,’ ‘The Omen’ and ‘Thank You for Smoking.'”
Jesdanun reports, “Availability through Fox’s Direct2Drive service will be concurrent with the DVD release. Also, Direct2Drive will make available Fox’s ’24’ and ‘Prison Break’ and FX’s ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ within 24 hours of each episode’s broadcast. Other movies and shows will be added later. Movies will sell for about $20 and TV shows for $1.99 an episode… The movies and TV shows from Twentieth Century Fox will carry copy protection, limiting playback to two Windows computers, each supporting one portable device. Sales will be limited to the United States.”
Jesdanun reports, “Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL)’s iTunes Music Store already sells many television shows, including ’24’ and others from Fox, for $1.99 apiece, but those can only be played on the company’s market-leading iPod devices.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple should sue at least one of these media outlets for disseminating false information just to send a message. It’s not hard to do some very basic, very simple research before writing and editing a story for publication. It’s not a secret. This story, because it’s from AP, will be reprinted via thousands of newspapers and websites. How is Apple to combat that type of disinformation, whether it was intended or just a result of sloppy or nonexistent journalism?
FACT: TV shows sold via Apple’s iTunes Music Store can be played on Windows PCs, Macs, and iPods (and TV screens, too, if connected to any of those devices – music from iTunes Store can also be played on Motorola phones, too). Unlike Fox’s outfit as described above, Apple’s iTunes Store is not limited to two Windows-only computers and one portable device that nobody owns.
Contact info:
Anick Jesdanun:
AP New York Metro, Howard Goldberg, Chief of Bureau:
[UPDATE: 2:26pm EDT: The Associated Press has updated their story with, “Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes Music Store already sells many television shows, including ’24’ and others from Fox, for $1.99 apiece, but those can only be played on the company’s market-leading iPod devices or through its iTunes software on a computer.” In other words, Apple’s iTunes does much more than Fox’s scheme, so the “but” in the AP’s revision is meaningless.]
Just another example of “don’t believe everything you read”. It’s everywhere, folks. Fake war pictures in the news, biased political reporting, biased technology reporting. With every news report you read, hear or see, the very first questions you should ask yourself are “how much of this is made up, who’s reporting it, and what’s their agenda?”
how about instead of suing them, we just force them to use Vista when it comes out?
*sigh*
Yellow journalism at its best…
What does it take now to write articles? Obviously the word “research” isn’t in their vocabulary.
Anick Jesdanun needs to go back to the monkey school he/she attended, and actually pay attention in class. Geeze!
or would that be considered “cruel and unusual punishment”?
Duh! You’d think there at least would have been a check to see what the iTunes site indicated. Any inquiry gives you the opportunity to download the Doze version when the site is accessed on a PC. That fact alone blows this article out of the water.
Remember, send POLITE emails. It won’t do any good to send angry “you guys are idiots” notes to them. Use a reasonable tone; don’t be a nerdy baby. Yes, they deserve to get ripped, but they’re not going to listen to a pack of whiny children. Tone is important. Treat them with respect – even though they haven’t earned any with this article – because if you don’t treat them with respect, your email goes into the Trash.
It would also help if angry ol’ MDN would note this whenever they post an email address.
The writer corrected the error yesterday, here is the updated link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081400229.html?nav=rss_technology
What the writer should have said was that downloaded iTunes movies/tv shows only work on one MP3 player brand, that of Apples iPod.
The reality is that Apple is going to get increasingly stronger oposition not just from journalists but also from users as they continue to refuse to licence the DRM.
Eventually, they will have to sucum to market preasure or eventually they will lose market share by refusing to open up iPod and iTunes, just like in the early 80’s for the Mac.
It will only add value to the original iPod product line if others are allowed to produce crappy MP3 players that work with iTunes.
The updated story at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081400229.html?nav=rss_technology is still inaccurate or misleading. The use of the word “just” is followed by comments about playing on computers. How does that justify (pun intended) the use of the word “just”? Why not use “just” when revering to M$ then? Also, movies don’t need iTunes to play. Once downloaded, they can be played with Quicktime, right? Shouldn’t this be mentioned?
What happened? I could have sworn that the article used the word “just.” I must be dreaming or just reading too fast without sufficient comprehension. Sorry. However, the other comments about what it takes to play a movie are still worth mentioning, IMHO.
The “corrected” article is still not correct. It does not say that iTunes supports up to 5 computers and unlimited iPods for transfering movies/music.
To me, this whole “article” is a PR release. Why not just publish the Press Release? And if you are going to mention iTunes, you need to do it correctly.
It’s not just Apple that has standing in a law suit like this. Any shareholder could also sue.
What do yoou extect from the
AssPress
Mr. Anick Jesdanun,
TV shows and music downloaded from iTunes Music Store is NOT limited to play ONLY on the iPod! In fact iTMS content can be played on Windows and Linux PCs, Macintosh’s, iPods, AND home theater systems.
With very little journalistic effort on your part you might have discovered that Apple’s iTMS content is much more versatile than you lead readers to believe. Then again maybe you knew that already but chose to misrepresent the truth for financial reasons, huh?
Fox’s offerings will ONLY play on Windows PCs and not even on the iPods of Windows users. Apple, at least has the temerity to make their content available to ALL consumers, financial motives notwithstanding. Naturally, they couldn’t have acquired the lion’s share of the market had they excluded Windows users so I commend them for their sound business decision to be inclusive.
Because you work for AP, your article will be picked up by the main stream press and read by millions of people around the world but, you are doing a great disservice to your readership with your myopic view of content-delivery technology and more importantly, you are compromising your journalistic integrity. Then again perhaps you’re young and naive and think your day job is just a way to pay off your student loans while you aspire to be a novelist.
As an Apple share holder, I find your piece offensive on so many levels and wonder, am I to conclude you are but a shill for Microsoft? Did Fox pay you to write this piece?
You could have omitted any mention of Apple Computer from your article but then it would have read like an unembellished, uncelebrated, and unsung promotional piece for Microsoft and Fox and would have tanked quickly. But throw in your controversial misinformation, or name-drop Apple iTMS, and suddenly the piece is getting picked up over the wire service by those who want to believe it’s all true.
It would seem you are playing fast and loose with the facts but sooner or later you too will join the ranks of the unemployed right along with Adnan Hajj, who also crossed the line. The public has a long memory for those who violate their trust.
Make no mistake about it Mr. Jesdanun, in the coming months, the public is going to turn on journalists who insist in playing with the truth by misleading it’s readership with misinformation and invention. There is a revolution underfoot and people like Mr. Hajj who has become the lightning rod for journalistic integrity will be exposed for what they are: frauds.
Respectfully,
Topshot said, “What the writer should have said was that downloaded iTunes movies/tv shows only work on one MP3 player brand, that of Apples iPod.
The reality is that Apple is going to get increasingly stronger oposition not just from journalists but also from users as they continue to refuse to licence the DRM.”
And Windows Media only plays on one brand of MP3 Player, those of PlaysForSure. Just because there are different manufacturers using the DRM doesn’t mean that it’s any worse than iPod. At lease you can get a Windows version of iTunes. Microsoft has no Mac version of Windows Media Player. That’s the real monopoly working.
Being an iPod owner I have no problem that Apple doesn’t license their DRM. And if they keep getting these types of articles written by “journalists” it just goes to show that the media needs to go back to school and just report the facts.
Apparently, he has seen the light…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081400229.html?nav=rss_technology
compare:
“Fox will… let visitors buy movies and television shows that they can download for computer playback and transfer to devices running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Media Player technology.”
vs.
“Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes Music Store already sells many television shows… for $1.99 apiece, but those can only be played on the company’s market-leading iPod devices or through its iTunes software on a computer.”
So why the qualified “but?” Funny, because you can play the iTMS content on more far more devices, not to mention you don’t even have to use the FREE, CROSS-PLATFORM iTunes software. Spin at its finest.
(and $20 for a d/l’d movie? WTF???)
What does it take now to write articles?
A word processor, a deadline, and a publisher hungry for ratings.
Associated Press incorrectly reports…
Enough said.