Bart Stein '09 worked this past summer as an intern for David Pogue, technology columnist for the New York Times. The following column is the first of what will be a biweekly effort to bring Brown students insight into the latest and greatest of personal technology.
Does your DVD player ever tell you that it can't play your favorite movie because it's "either scratched or dirty"?
Apple Computer has a plan in place to end such woes. Earlier this month, the company showed off three new video-related products: iTunes 7 (now with movie downloads), a refined video iPod and a mysterious device codenamed iTV that won't hit the market until early 2007.
Can this three-pronged attack bring the simplicity of Apple's wildly successful digital music model to the movie business?
The evaluation begins with iTunes 7. The most significant upgrade to Apple's digital music software in quite some time, iTunes 7 appears less cluttered than its predecessor, organizing all your music, videos and podcasts neatly on the left panel under clear headings. Aside from cosmetic changes, the main attraction of iTunes 7 is undoubtedly the new iTunes Store (the word "Music" has been removed to reflect the addition of movies). Once again, cosmetic changes result in a cleaner look, although you might miss the old drop-down menu that allowed you to quickly jump to a particular genre of music.
The Movies section of the iTunes store is where Apple's commitment to design shines. Purchasing films on the iTunes Store is exactly how it should be: logical, easy and fast. The iTunes Store organizes movies essentially the same way it does music (by genre, new releases, top downloads, etc.). Each film's individual page consists of technical information (like file size and screen format), a plot summary and customer reviews. You can view a free trailer for the movie right in the iTunes window.
Downloading a movie takes anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes depending on your connection speed. The quality is very good, although not quite DVD-caliber.
As of now, the iTunes Store offers only 75 movies from Disney and its affiliated studios. Pricing is somewhat confusing: $9.99 for "old" movies, $12.99 for pre-orders and movies in their first week of release and $14.99 once the first week of discounted pricing goes by.
Though this odd pricing structure might give you pause, you should be grateful that prices aren't higher. It's rumored that movie studio executives feared locking themselves into low prices in a potentially explosive business. Expect other studios to watch closely before pairing with Apple.
But what happens when you want to take the movies you've just purchased with you wherever you go? Well, you use Apple's video iPod, of course.
When Apple updates its iPods, it's like Michael Jordan working on his basketball game; it's hard to improve a device that could easily be considered the most successful consumer electronics product of this millennium. The newly refined video iPod, however, makes important changes that particularly enhance watching movies on-the-go.
The updated video iPod lineup boasts two models: a thin 30 GB version for $249 and a beefy 80 GB version for $349. The major under-the-hood improvement Apple has made to its latest iPods focuses on the device's perennial Achilles heel: battery life. Yes, you can finally use your iPod to watch movies on long flights or train rides. You won't lose juice in your 80 GB player until after six and a half hours of video or 20 hours of audio, and the thinner 30 GB version lasts for three and a half hours of video and 14 hours of audio.
The new iPod also cranks up its screen to blistering levels of brightness. Using a new brightness control feature in the settings menu, you can make your screen up to 60 percent brighter than previous iPods. You can also access this feature while a movie is playing by clicking the select button twice (a useful shortcut).
So, to put it simply, the latest iPod is the best ever, especially for watching movies. But the most important part of Apple's digital video strategy is the one that we currently know the least about: a device known only by its codename iTV.
Let's face it: watching movies on your computer just doesn't compare to sitting on the couch in front of the TV. iTV aims to solve this problem. It's a small set-top box that connects to your TV and wirelessly connects to the computers in your house. Thus, you can sit on the couch with a remote, control your iTV and view all the movies you bought on iTunes like you were watching them on DVD.
It's very rare for Apple to disclose details about a forthcoming product, so it's clear company officials also understand how crucial iTV is to the success of their new movie business. The details the company provided, however, are scarce.
iTV will cost $299 when it arrives in the first quarter of 2007. It will be compatible with HDTVs and utilize 802.11 wireless (speculators are betting that it will pack a faster, next-generation wireless technology known as 802.11n). In addition to accessing your movies, iTV will also be able to play your music on your home stereo and display your photos on the big screen.
Are Apple's new offerings enough to dominate the digital video business? Assuming iTV boasts Apple's typical elegance and superior design, the answer appears to be yes. The clock is ticking on the lives of your DVDs. They shouldn't be too lonely in expired-media heaven - there are plenty of CDs there to keep them company.
Have a technology question? E-mail Bart Stein '09 at tech.browndailyherald@gmail.com.
