Why Apple is being so nice in the US with all that free HD content
Yesterdays product announcement went pretty much as expected on the iPod Nano front.
These are sort of cool but I’m much more of an iPod Touch kind of guy. Video on a small screen just becomes annoying after a while.
The updated iPod Touch isn’t enough of an improvement to make me contemplate an upgrade. The additions of a volume control and speaker are nice but it doesn’t really make much odds to me.
The iPod touch is still a marvel to me. Here is what I do with mine:-
Listen to Music
Watch Video
Stream TV from BBC iPlayer
Stream Audio from AOL Radio
Read Twitter and my Gmail Email
Play Games and Apps
Read the New York Times
As well as all the standard things like Maps, Web sites and Pictures. The iPod Touch is more a computer than a Video playing mp3 player. It’s expensive but ultimately worth it.
The good news from yesterday is the Addition of HD TV content in their main store. Prior to this the only HD content available from Apple was locked to the Apple TV infrastructure, and that was movies and not TV.
Now you have the choice to download some TV Shows in 480p ($1.99) or 720p ($2.99).
Much like a drug dealer offering the first hit for free Apple are now offering free downloads of 10 episodes in HD from the likes of Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, The Office, Monk and more to showcase the HD content in the iTunes music store.
When you buy an HD episode you get both the HD and SD versions (one for your TV one for your iPod).
It’s nice to have the choice of quality and price points. But as I have said before paying extra for HD just feels like a tax.
Sadly if you are a UK resident don’t get too excited as none of this HD goodness seems to have filtered through to us.
