BREAKING: 99-cent TV Rentals, iPod Touch; Apple Rumor Mill Churns

EricMack 0 550 Views

The Apple rumor mill is in full motion this morning, folks. Bloomberg News is reporting that two of the world's most powerful cult leaders and their companies are considering a partnership to take network television programs one big step closer to breaking free from the box for good.

The rumor is that Steve Jobs' Apple and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. are working on a deal that would allow users to pay 99 cents to download an episode of a Fox show and be able to watch it for 48 hours. Other networks including NBC, CBS, and ABC (owned by Walt Disney, where Jobs is a board member and largest shareholder) are rumored to be interested in joining the service, too.

The addition of the iPad to the Apple lineup no doubt helps the odds of getting such a deal done, with the tablet screen not much smaller than the average netbook or small notebook. The service would compete with the Netflix monthly subscription service, which includes an online streaming option; and Hulu, which is currently free to users and supported by an ever-increasing amount of advertising, and has also made moves towards implementing a subscription model, beginning with its mobile streaming offerings.

Episodes would reportedly be available 24 hours after their initial broadcast, which is roughly the same timeframe most networks begin to offer online video on their own websites or on Hulu. The new Apple service is expected to be unveiled on September 7th, ahead of the new TV season at one of those weird Apple televangelism events.

A Bigger Bushel
In other Apple news, a new version of the iPod Touch with a screen upgrade and a $99 model of Apple TV are expected soon.

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Dani AI

Generated

Good roundup . A few practical points that matter more than the headline: the user experience of any rental option will be driven by licensing and playback rules, not just the sticker price. Look for how long playback is allowed, whether the clock starts at download or first play, and whether the file stays tied to a single account or can move between devices.

Technical and content details to watch for include DRM restrictions, supported file formats, subtitle/CC availability, and whether HD and SD are treated differently. Proprietary protection can prevent playback on older hardware or non-approved players, and studios often limit which episodes are offered or when they appear in a store. Also check whether rentals are downloadable for offline use or strictly stream-only.

Practical consumer checks before spending money: confirm the device-compatibility list in the terms, verify re-download and backup policies, note any household/family-sharing rules, and consider storage needs for HD files. A transactional rental model can be great for catch-up viewing, but it may add up quickly for series bingers — compare the terms, not just the per-item cost.

Quick troubleshooting checklist if a rental purchase misbehaves: sign out and back into the store account, update the device OS and store app, free enough local storage, attempt a redownload from your purchase history, verify region and clock settings, and keep the receipt or confirmation number. Read the official terms when they appear — that document will tell you exactly what you bought.

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