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Brick and mortar stores could have sales stolen by Apple iTunes digital downloads

Although the vast majority of all sales of movies are done on DVD, likely at mass market locations such as Wal-Mart, there is a slowly growing population of those who are playing for digital downloads.

Such a phenomenon is becoming well established in the realm of music, where users of iTunes will pay 99 cents to download a song. Apple is now hoping to bring the same level of success it did to music over to movies.

Apple announced that new releases and catalog titles will be available on iTunes day-and-date with the DVD releases from 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios.

Movies purchased from iTunes can be viewed on an iPod with video, iPhone, Mac or PC or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV. New release movies will be priced at $14.99 and older catalog titles at $9.99. The iTunes Store current carries over 1,500 films at present.

Notable releases this week include American Gangster and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which will join other recent movies Juno, Cloverfield, I Am Legend, There Will Be Blood and others.

“We’re thrilled to bring iTunes Store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios.”

Unlike Microsoft’s Xbox Live Marketplace service, which is allows only movie rentals, the iTunes Store presents movies for purchase as well as rental. Apple did not reveal any plans to offer high-definition movies for download, which is available on Microsoft’s service.

dailytech.com