Apple Introduces New Apple TV Software & Lowers Price to $229
Rent High Definition Movies Directly from Your Widescreen TV
MACWORLD SAN FRANCISCO–January 15, 2008–Apple today unveiled all new
software for Apple TV that allows movie fans to rent movies on the iTunes
Store directly from their widescreen TV, and lowered the price of Apple TV
to just $229. With iTunes Movie Rentals and Apple TV, users can just click
a button on their remote to effortlessly rent movies from a catalog of over
1,000 titles by the end of February, including over 100 titles in stunning
high definition video with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound, with no
computer required. DVD-quality iTunes Movie Rentals are $2.99 for library
titles and $3.99 for new releases, and high definition versions are just
one dollar more with library titles at $3.99 and new releases at $4.99.
Apple will provide the new Apple TV software free of charge to existing
Apple TV owners when it releases the new Apple TV priced at $229 in about
two weeks.
“With the new Apple TV and iTunes Movie Rentals, movie lovers can rent
DVD-quality or stunning HD movies from their couch with just a click of a
button,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “No more driving to the video store
or waiting for DVDs to arrive in the mail.”
iTunes Movie Rentals feature iTunes’ legendary ease of use, which makes
discovering and enjoying movie rentals as simple and easy as buying music
on iTunes. Once a movie is rented, it starts downloading from the iTunes
Store directly to Apple TV, and users with a fast Internet connection can
start viewing the movie in seconds. Customers have up to 30 days to start
watching it, and once a movie has been started customers have 24 hours to
finish it–or watch it multiple times.
With Apple TV, users can also view photos from their computers, Flickr and
..Mac Web Galleries on their widescreen TV as slideshows or screen savers,
and anytime photos are updated on Flickr or .Mac, they are automatically
updated on Apple TV. Apple TV users can now browse and enjoy the iTunes
Store podcast directory of over 125,000 video and audio podcasts, view over
50 million originally created videos from YouTube or choose from a
selection of six million songs, over 600 TV shows and 10,000 music videos
to purchase directly from their Apple TV. Purchases downloaded to Apple TV
are automatically synced back to iTunes on the user’s computer for
enjoyment on their computer, all current generation iPods* or iPhone.
Apple TV easily connects to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home
theater systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and
optical audio ports. Using high-speed AirPort 802.11 wireless networking,
Apple TV now automatically plays all of your iTunes content without setup
or management**.
Pricing & Availability
The new Apple TV software will be available as a free automatic download to
all Apple TV customers later this month. Apple TV, which includes the Apple
Remote, is available from the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail
stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $229
(US) for the 40GB model and $329 (US) for the 160GB model (US and Canada).
Apple TV requires an 802.11g/n wireless network or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet
networking, a broadband Internet connection and a high definition
widescreen TV. iPod games will not play on Apple TV. iTunes Movie Rentals
are available in the US only.
*Movie rentals work on iPod classic, iPod nano with video and iPod touch.
**Compatible with 802.11b/g/n. Based on an IEEE 802.11n draft
specification. Wireless video streaming requires an 802.11g/n network.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple
II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.
Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its
award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional
applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with
its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has
entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.
