Who cares about iTunes HD? by Damon Brown

Apple is now offering HD movies through the iTunes Store for both rental and purchase. It’s a great gesture, but this won’t mean much for the average bloke.

First of all, most people probably watch Apple movies on an iPod/iPhone, a few less on an actual computer and very few on the poorly received Apple TV. Getting HD movies for your iPhone is like getting Grey Poupon for a cold-cut sandwich – it’s too subtle to change the experience. HD on the PC or Mac is cool, but there are websites that live-stream HD film for a monthly price lower than one Apple HD movie purchase. Finally, even the most loyal Apple TV users have probably moved on to the next cutting-edge purchase, like Blu-Ray. In short, no one cares.

HD movies can run as much as double what regular Apple movies do, so at this point don’t feel pressured to update your movie collection or to buy the expensive HD version of Twilight… if you’re into that sort of thing.

Damon Brown is author of “The Pocket Idiot’s Guide To The iPhone”. His latest book, “Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider And Other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture”, is out now. Read his writing at www.damonbrown.net

Damon will be writing a fortnightly column for iPhone Kung Fu and also features in iCreate Magazine each month.