14 DAY TRIAL // It's clear that Apple is one of media's sweethearts. Each move from the company, the smallest rumor regarding some product or the other is of interest, leading to opinions, analyses, predictions and as much media coverage as possible.
Whether it's about iPods or Macs, whatever Apple makes turns instantly into a headline for the IT news editors and not only them. What's interesting is that, on numerous occasions, the company really doesn't have to do anything, because the slightest rumor is enough to create a vivid debate.
After it dazzled the world with its iPod, after it began selling more and more Macs, the only thing that Apple must now do, at least according to what the press says, is to roll out a video iPod and do for the movies' market what it did for the musical one.
Some analysts think that this launch is unavoidable and in their opinion, all that we have to do is wait until September, when Jobs will bring out the new iPod video.
However, for Apple, the video market could prove to be too tough to handle. If, when it comes to music, the prices allow each user to pay 99 cents for a song, the movies are something quite different.
It's hard to asses what would be the right price for a movie, but not even Apple can take the chance of getting no profits, and I don't know how many users would pay the entire price of a DVD for a movie they're likely to watch three times or so, after which they'll have to delete it in order to make room for some more titles.
The enthusiasm regarding the video iPod results from the attempt of catching a glimpse of the future of this fascinating project. Considering that the video download market seems to be the next big thing in business, most people think that Apple's penetration on this market is nothing but mandatory.
Personally, I don't think that Apple will make this step and I also believe that the people who are now betting on the video iPod will be disappointed. Why? Because the iPod is and will remain a product that will do the job it has been designed for very well, and there are already a lot of special areas (podcasting for example) it has to explore before joining the bloody battle on the video download market.
It's very possible that the iTunes will also become an interface for downloading movies, but this doesn't necessarily mean that it will be linked to the iPod. So the truth is out there, but not in video.