Apple to rent movies on web
2008-01-16 07:04
San Francisco - Apple Inc unveiled
an ultraportable laptop computer about three-quarters of an
inch thick and said it would start renting movies over the
internet, moving the iPhone and iPod maker into a very
competitive market.
Chief Executive Steve Jobs said the new notebook computer,
called the Macbook Air, was the thinnest computer available, at
a maximum of 0.76 inches.
Apple has had huge success with its iPod music players and
more recently its iPhone communications device. Jobs said
iPhone sales had hit four million since their release last year.
Meanwhile, the Macbook Air laptop had been eagerly
anticipated.
But the Macintosh maker has failed to find a major audience
with its Apple TV product, designed for watching internet video
on television.
Apple TV was initially designed to be an iTunes computer
accessory, Jobs said. "It's not what people wanted. We learned
what people wanted was ... movies, movies movies."
A new version of Apple TV will work with the iTunes movie
rental service and support high-definition, he said.
With web movie rentals, Apple takes on DVD-by-mail rental
service Netflix, which also allows online viewing, as well as
a host of others eager to make it possible to watch movies
easily and instantly over the web.