iTunes Store slip-up reveals future rental movie options?
Movie rentals could be coming to the iTunes Store, if an apparent slip-up by Apple is any indication. Mac developer David Watanabe uploaded a screenshot depicting an iTunes problem reporting system which has options for requesting …
Context & Ripple Effects
The rental hint lands in the middle of a bruising week for Apple: the September 5 'beat goes on' iPod event was followed within days by a confirmed $200 iPhone price cut that drew heavy user backlash, and by the iTunes 7.4.1 update shipping just 48 hours after 7.4 while breaking homebrew ringtones.
Against that backdrop, developer David Watanabe's screenshot of an iTunes problem-reporting form listing movie-rental request options reads as an accidental early look at where Apple wants the iTunes Store to go next — notable because the same week's confirmed move to lock TV Out on new iPod classics and nanos broke third-party video docks and cables, tightening Apple's grip on exactly the hardware such rentals would play through.
First-order effects
- Apple gains an unintended public signal that rental-tier video licensing is on its roadmap, pressuring it to either confirm or quietly strip the option before the next iTunes release.
- Users filing iTunes feedback now see a rental category that has no matching storefront, making the gap between Apple's shipped catalog and its apparent plans visible.
Second-order effects
- Movie studios watching the leak have reason to hold out for rental terms rather than purchase-only deals, since Apple's own tooling implies demand for a lower-priced per-view window.
- Accessory makers still reeling from the TV Out lockdown face a video business increasingly shaped by Apple's playback rules rather than open compatibility, raising the cost of staying in the dock-and-cable market.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, iTunes evolves from a buy-to-own music store into a multi-tier video distributor, with Apple controlling both the pricing window and the certified devices it plays on.
- Unannounced strings and UI options in shipping software become an informal announcement channel for Apple, letting partners and rivals read strategy out of beta artifacts.
The trend: Apple is edging the iTunes Store from outright purchases toward rental-style video distribution, with leaked interface elements telegraphing studio negotiations before any deal is signed.