More rumors about the next-gen Apple TV will feature 99-cent rentals as a main part of its feature set. Movies would stream, since the Apple TV would not feature any hard drive storage of its own. If Apple were to launch such a web-based product, then it would mark a real shift towards the future of consuming media away from the cable box and physical rentals.
Sources understand that Apple would supplement its $2 and $3 episode purchases with 99 cent rentals that would be delivered only through an on-demand stream. As with movies when they reached iTunes, customers would have 30 days to start watching the rental but only 24 hours to finish watching once playback has begun.
Lowering the cost of shows would theoretically encourage higher volume, analysts say. By leaving the TV shows on the servers, however, Apple could cut the Apple TV’s storage down to its rumored 16GB of storage and drop the price of the box to $99, spurring on more sales and again making up for money that would have been generated through purchases.
Published on July 14, 2010
