iTunes into movies

Films to go on your iPod. Like this here American Gangster type flicks

Got one of those shiny video iPod things? If you don't, you might want to as you'll soon be able to watch movies on it.

Well, certainly in the US. We're still trying to find out if it all applies to the UK.

However, on the tentative assumption it does, let's have a little Mexican wave for the news that Apple's head honcho Steve Jobs has finally got all the major studios on board and digital downloads of all their movies will be available from the moment the DVDs and Blu-Ray discs hit the shelves.

Jobs (and, we imagine, one or two of his team) have been busy getting Fox, Warners, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Disney, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look to sign on the dotted line and sell their movies via iTunes.

We'd call it a major breakthrough but can't help feeling that actually the studios need the deal as much as Apple wanted it. According to Variety – and let's face it, they should know - 'disc sales for new releases have been displaying worrisome softness.'

Which, we assume, means 'the bottom's falling out of the market, let's panic.'

The magazine's industry experts reckon that resistance had been due to concerns over pricing and the fear that Steve Jobs would become too powerful. Which, we assume, means more like Donald Trump than a Transformer.

They were also concerned that allowing digital downloads would upset WalMart – who threw their toys out of the pram when Disney put High School Musical up for online sale – but hey, it's WalMart, they're evil so stuff 'em. New releases will, apparently, cost $14.99 with back catalogue stuff going for around $9.99.

At current exchange rates that's just over eight quid for a new film and about £5.50 for the old stuff. Here's hoping the prices apply to the UK then...

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