So, just how lazy are you?
Lazy enough that you’ve long since given up schlepping yourself to the multiplex to catch a movie? Lazy enough that you took the penalty for not rewinding your videos as a fair price to pay? Lazy enough that you haven’t gotten past the third movie in your Netflix queue because you can’t be bothered to get the prepaid envelope off the top of your DVD player and into the mailbox?
You, my friend, are a sloth. And I’ve got some news that would make you leap off your La-Z-Boy with excitement … were it not quite so taxing.
In September, Apple debuted the latest new thing at its online iTunes Store. Originally designed to pump digitized music to the masses at a meager 99 cents a pop, iTunes now has added full-length feature films, and the industry may never be the same again.
Netflix revolutionized the home video market a few years ago when it eliminated the two most significant hassles of movie rental: poor selection and punitive late fees. Subscribers to the service now can scroll through a voluminous library of films, create a queue of desired movies and then sit back and watch them arrive practically on their doorstep, to be kept as long as necessary. Brick-and-mortar stores haven’t been able to compete with Netflix’s brilliant strategy and have been forced to change some of their practices in order to stay in business.
That Netflix lets you stay home rather than wander the aisles at your local Blockbuster or Hollywood Video is gravy. It’s the service’s most obvious feature, but in a way it’s also the most limiting. Because while you may not have to leave your house, you’ve still got to wait for the DVD to come to you. And that’s at least a two-day wait. If you want a new release and everybody else has the same movie in their queues as well, then you may have to wait longer still.
That’s when you find yourself back down at Blockbuster, looking for something to watch as you pass the time till your Netflix choice arrives.
Ah, but here comes Apple to the rescue!
Apple has taken the last hassle out of the process by making movies available on demand from the iTunes Store. Granted, it does take a bit of time to download your selection to your computer, but now it’s a matter of minutes – or at worst, an hour or two – and not two days. And you own the movie, rather than rent it, so no returns, no late fees. Keep it on your hard drive or burn it to a DVD. All for $10 to $15.
“But wait!” – sez you – “Aren’t these teensy-weensy videos made to fit on an iPod?” Well, they were. When Apple started offering videos, the resolution was a paltry 320 by 240. With last month’s announcement, Apple has bumped resolution up to 640 by 480 – which happens to be the resolution of most (but not high-definition) television sets.
As a test of the whole service, I pulled down “The Office Party,” one of several short films available. I popped it up to full-screen size on my 20-inch monitor, and I was duly impressed. The playback looked beautiful. As for download times, I grabbed a 90-minute movie in just slightly more than one hour. That means you could pick a film – say, the thrilling “Veronica Guerin” – set it to download, cook and eat dinner, and by the time the dishes are put away, your movie is ready to watch.
Currently, iTunes only offers movies from four studios – Disney, Pixar, Touchstone and Miramax – plus a collection of animated and international short films. It’s a small start, a meager 130 titles offered at last count before this issue went to press. But last year, when Apple started offering television shows, naysayers laughed and said no network in its right mind was going to go along with the idea. Today, there are 44 networks offering hundreds of shows that have been downloaded millions of times.
Once people discover just how good movies via iTunes can be, I expect it’s going to take off, too. This isn’t some fad thing; it’s the first step into the future.
What’s more, Apple has already teased the public with a tiny box it’s calling “iTV,” which, as of sometime next year, will wirelessly send downloaded movies straight to your TV set, even if it’s a widescreen HD flat-panel jobber.
I’m not on the payroll at Apple, I just like to trumpet smart technology – particularly when it relates to entertainment. I’m not on the payroll at Eckert’s Country Store and Farms, either, but one good Apple deserves another. Maybe even a bushelful. It’s the peak of apple-picking time over in Illinois, and with all the time you’ll save not having to drive to the video store or wait for the mail carrier to bring your Netflix envelope, isn’t it time you learned how to make apple pie? Or apple fritters? Or apple cake?
Take a beautiful fall day and drive over to Eckert’s orchards in Belleville, Millstadt or Grafton and discover the sublime pleasure of standing in the middle of the orchard, munching on the apple you just downloaded from its branch. It’s the perfect transition from those lazy summer days to the busy crispness of autumn.
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2006.