Over/under on Apple’s ‘day and date’ iTunes movie scheme being a success?

What starts as a weird love letter to Apple ends as a keen examination of its chances of success in the one place it still hasn’t conquered: your living room. A rather long piece in today’s Times looks at whether or not Apple’e latest scheme to release movies on the same day and date as their DVD release will have any sort of specific effect on sales of Apple TV, and any general effect on Apple’s performance in the living room.

Unlike when iTunes was still shiny and new (and, essentially, the only place to go for legal music downloads), Apple doesn’t have a stranglehold on the legal movie download business. You’ve got Amazon Unbox, Xbox Live Marketplace, and any number of other solutions. Apple can’t throw its weight around like it used to, as it did when it gifted us 99 cent music singles.

Not being a movie fan, I personally couldn’t give a toss what happens in this space, but I look forward to seeing if Apple can co-opt another industry, forcing it to bend to its will.

via CrunchGear

iTunes U Expands 'Beyond Campus'

10/19/2007

iTunes U, the education portal within Apple's iTunes, has expanded its content to include educational materials from sources beyond colleges and universities, including Smithsonian Global Sound, KQED, Little Kids Rock, and the Museum of Modern Art. The most recent addition to the expanded content area, known as Beyond Campus, is American Public Media, which is making its radio programming available free for educational purposes.

The programming includes selections from APM's programs American RadioWorks, Composer's Datebook, Marketplace, Speaking of Faith, Word for Word, and The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor. The content includes downloadable audio, printable transcripts, and suggestions for discussion points to support classroom use of the programs.

"iTunes U offers an exciting opportunity to extend the value of the outstanding programming produced by American Public Media's radio series, strengthen our relationship with educators, and connect with a generation of students that are already plugged in to iTunes," said Sarah Lutman, senior vice president, Content and Media, American Public Media. "iTunes U will also be a powerful gateway to the dynamic supplemental web content that accompanies our signature programs."



The APM content, as well as other Beyond Programming, is accessible through the iTunes Music Store in the iTunes U section.

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• American Public Media
• iTunes
• iTunes U