“Apple is planning to unveil a robust new content distribution system in January at Macworld Expo alongside its revamped media-savvy Mac mini, Think Secret has learned. The new content system and related media deals, which will include feature-length content, expanded televisions offerings, and more, will further cement Apple’s increasing lead in digital media delivery,” Ryan Katz reports for Think Secret.
“Apple’s new technology will deliver content such that it never actually resides on the user’s hard drive. Content purchased will be automatically made available on a user’s iDisk, which Front Row 2.0 will tap into. When the user wishes to play the content, robust caching technology Apple previously received a patent for will serve it to the users computer as fast as their Internet connection can handle. The system will also likely support downloading the video content to supported iPods but at no time will it ever actually be stored on a computer’s hard drive,” Katz reports. “This method, which will be every bit as simple and straightforward for consumers as the iTunes Music Store is now, poses a number of advantages over Apple’s current pay-once-download-once system, including saving users’ hard drive space and essentially providing a secure back-up of everything purchased.”
Katz reports, “Alongside this announcement Apple will also be rolling out a number of new partnerships with various content providers. Those Apple has not signed at the time of launch, one source speculated, will likely want to jump on the bandwagon soon afterwards, not unlike the vast number of additional record labels that were added to the iTunes Music Store soon after its inception.”
Full article with much more here.
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sweet baby jesus, let it be so.
Is there any wonder that Apple is suing them. I wonder if we’ll see wannabes three days before MWSF.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t buy one if/when Apple releases it.
How nice, Will this idisk feature be in competition with the MS “LIVE” offering and also the Sun-Google offerings (assuming, they are coming up with something)?
I mean if you can put your video’s and music and store it on idisk.. why not have PAGES be an online app too?
I just hope they somehow figure out a way to make idisk a free feature.. i mean whats stopping Apple from tapping into online advertising and using that instead?
Apple has done so much for the home user, with pictures and music. Why not take the next step and make an “apple” solution for the work user.
itunes + ipod + idisk = all my songs in once nice package
.pages documents + idisk (pages online for free) = all my documents
why stop at .pages why not keynote and some (excel) killer they build.
idisk can be so much more than just movies and music!!!!!!!! offer free online apps for the work user! Beat out MS and Google.
If you built it they will come!
I want this NOW. Please, Lord, fast-forward through December.
I need more porn!!
sounds very interesting & somehow makes sense… I always suspect the recently released Bandwith Tuner has to prep up for something under way … Also I think Apple will beef up its .Mac membership benefits significantly, something to do with the iDisk storage & more…
Um, doesn’t iDisk require a .mac account? Sorry Steve, I just dropped .mac. I’m not shelling out $99 again so I can pay for movies that I actually won’t even get to keep.
Rain Freak,
It sounds like this will be more in competition with Blockbuster and Hollywood video than MS or others.
Imagine never having to drive to a video store again, get any movie, any time you want streaming on any tv in your house via Mac Mini, iTunes and and a video airport express!
2006, Apple takes on Microsoft, Dell and Blockbuster video!
Jeff Says
“Um, doesn’t iDisk require a .mac account? Sorry Steve, I just dropped .mac. I’m not shelling out $99 again so I can pay for movies that I actually won’t even get to keep.”
First of all, if this is true, this is probably the only way to keep the major studios happy. You can watch it on your iPod or stream it to a tv via front row, but you never get the physical file in a way in which it can be copied.
Secondly, Think of it as you are paying to watch the movie.. not own it.. Just like going to a theater or renting a video.. You watch it, but you don’t get anything physical.
If the price is right.. say three or four bucks this would be awesome… All the old classics, all the independant films, new releases, any time you want them..
If you really want to own a movie, you can always buy a DVD
You know me — little to no respect for ThinkSecret and their horrible track record as of late. But this rumor’s different. If it’s wrong, it’s one of the most detailed delusions I’ve ever heard. Maybe this is legit. (Count me as a potential customer.)
And ThinkSecret’s really betting the store on this one. If they’re wrong, they will look like utter fools. Never forget what happened to MacOSRumors.
Isn’t iDisk only available as a part of .Mac? If so… how do those of us who prefer not to pay a $100 tithe recieve video content. People balked at Napster for there $15 a month fee for rented music… Well… isn’t this just an $8.30 a month fee for rented music PLUS the cpst of the actual download? For $3 a show or say $9 a movie (good guess?) I had better be able to download onto my computer or iPod. Instead of iDisk… why not DRM and let people have the fair use rights to their content?
haha MacOSRumors….worst site ever
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It will be interesting to see what companies roll out in “media delivery systems” over the next year.
sounds good. but for the over 50% of us that don’t have or can’t get broadband (don’t even start with Satellite…too slow & too expensive), downloading to my HD is the only option. (takes laptop to internet cafe, download, enjoy later.)
WHOA! Waitaminnit waitaminnit waitaminnit! iDisk?? It requires iDisk??
Now, call me silly, but Apple doesn’t offer iDisk for Windows, do they? They can’t seriously be planning to offer this store as Mac-only. Can they?
Yeah, yeah, I know: iTMS was Mac-only at first. Times were different then. iTMS was seen as a huge gamble, so other services weren’t jumping at the chance to do the same thing for the PC.
But these days, with Apple being the icon it’s become, if they come out with some new wonder-service, everyone will want it, including Windows users. Sure, some of them will buy Macs, but others will use the competing services that will swiftly spring up to supply PC owners with what Apple won’t give them.
If this rumor is true, I really hope Jobs knows what he’s doing. This would be an enormous gamble. The risk is some PC-friendly competitor coming up from behind and grabbing the majority of market share.
If you can watch it and hear it, it can be recorded. And, so, it will be recorded. Unless, of course, Apple plans on selling video you can’t see and audio you can’t hear.
Dan,
Obviously we dont know all the details or even if it’s true..
But this sounds like a way around DRM, and it could be the only way that the major studios will allow digital film distribution via iTunes. You have access to the file for your iPod or via front row, but you never get a physical file that can be copied.
The iDisk and and the $100 .Mac subscription? Maybe Apple will allow anyone to have a free basic iDisk strictly for purchased movies. You would only get the full benefits of iDisk (backup and storage) if you purchase a .mac account… Who knows how this will work. It’s fun speculating though.
Personally I won’t be interested in paying for content that I can’t play again for free. If I can’t store it or archive it, then I’m not interested.
Still I’m sure other people will enjoy the service. For me, I still prefer to buy CD’s (at discounted prices) and rip them myself rather than pay 10 bucks per album at 128 bps.
Same thing for video. Watch DVDs using Netflix and buy the ones I want to keep.
Now if the new mac mini will co-operate with my cable box and have DVR and archiving capabilities then I’ll be interested.
Lord Robin says
“Now, call me silly, but Apple doesn’t offer iDisk for Windows, do they? They can’t seriously be planning to offer this store as Mac-only. Can they?”
It sounds to me like Mac only is the whole point. Apple won’t be making money from movie distribution, this movie service will be to sell the new intel Mac Mini media computer with front row that by the way will dual boot into Windows!
Neil, why would you not be able to watch it again for free? It will be permanently archived on your iDisk or on your iPod.
Bah. If I’m buying television or movies, I want to be able to watch them on my laptop on a plane or train. Needing a persistent fast internet connection to access any of my content is a grotesque idea.
–Rob
I didn’t read the article. Wha happen?
PC Apologist,
Don’t know about a laptop, but you can watch it on a plane or train on the iPod.
You do know that once you stop paying for your .mac account you lose the movies? Sounds kinda like a subscription service, the same type that many of you denounced when companies were offering music subscriptions. Ah, but since it’s Apple it’s okay.
huh says “
You do know that once you stop paying for your .mac account you lose the movies? Sounds kinda like a subscription service, the same type that many of you denounced when companies were offering music subscriptions. Ah, but since it’s Apple it’s okay.”
Not if Apple offers a FREE basic iDisk strictly for viewing purchased movies.
The article says an iDisk is required not a .mac account.