RSSiTunes Video Downloads Top 1 Million
By Ed Oswald | Published October 31, 2005, 10:59 AM
Over one million videos have been downloaded through the iTunes Music Store since October 12, Apple said on Monday. Currently, only about 2,000 videos exist on the service, including music videos, short films from Pixar, and episodes of five television shows including Lost and Desperate Housewives.
As of Monday morning, the top five videos on the service were Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (appropriate considering Monday is Halloween in the United States), the first and most recent episodes of the television show Lost, Pixar's "For the Birds," and Fatboy Slim's video for "Weapon of Choice" with a dancing Christopher Walken.
Steve Jobs in a statement to the press said that he believed the results show a market for legal video downloads, while hinting that Apple was not resting on its laurels. "Our next challenge is to broaden our content offerings, so that customers can enjoy watching more videos on their computers and new iPods," he said.
The success of video downloads could suggest that sales of the fifth-generation iPod could be equally as promising. ABC is also happy, and the number of shows available through the service should increase in early 2006 after the network secures the necessary rights to make the programs available online.
Nonetheless, Apple is remaining tight-lipped as to whether it plans to launch the video service outside the United States any time soon. However, since the new iPod is being sold worldwide, it seems logical that more video stores may be on the way for international iTunes customers.
Television programs like Desperate Housewives and Lost are some of the most frequently pirated downloads in many countries outside the United States, according to recent research.
"Television programs like Desperate Housewives and Lost are some of the most frequently pirated downloads in many countries outside the United States, according to recent research."
The piracy won't go away unless iTunes removes this from their TOS:
"You shall not be entitled to burn Video Products"
Anybody want to start a petition to Apple demanding they give us the freedom to "burn Video Products" in the next version of iTunes?
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|so much to do about nothing said the bard. so where lies the threat from P2P
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|I would rather buy a iRiver or creative and watch my shows. I tried to watch a video on the iPod screen and it was crappy at best, next to my iriver PMC120 Media Player.
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|Found a typo, or error:
"For the Birds, close the quote on this :)
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|Michael Jackson's gotta be making a killing off of the Thriller video right about now.
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|Is that child molester still alive? I thought the parents were going to drag him to Mexico and beat him to death in the streets. It must have been just wishfull thinking.
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|Thats strange, when I was in Cancun I was pulled over for doing 5 over in an obvious rental car. I didn't know they allowed people to be beaten to death in the middle of the streets?
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|Hey, leave Michael alone. We don't make fun of mentally handicapped people here!
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