Apple today updated their iTunes Store with a nice new facelift and some very nice features.
Name Change
The first change is regarding the name - the iTunes Music Store is now just referred to as the 'iTunes Store.' Clearly with added extra content, the name 'iTunes Music Store' was no longer fitting. This name change first became apparent this afternoon.
Hollywood Movies. Now in iTunes
As was much anticipated, Apple also updated iTunes today with the addition selling Hollywood movies in the store. The videos will be available at a 'near-DVD' resolution of 640x480 and will share the same usage rights as iTunes TV Shows. The pricing for movies on iTunes is as follows:
Older Movies: $9.99
New Movies: $14.99 (although if you pre-order, or order during the first week of release you can get them for just $12.99)
Movies carry Apple's FairPlay DRM, and it's currently unkown whether these movies are burnable to DVD, however it seems highly unlikely. Apple mentioned they would like to make movie downloads internationally available in 2007, however there are no guarantees this will happen.
Apple commented there are 75 movies available for purchase & download at launch, all from Disney-owned studios. More movies will be added 'every week'.
iPod Games
Apple also unexpectedly added an 'iPod Games' department to the iTunes Store today. The store currently stocks a selection of 9 games available for purchase and downloads, which can be played on any 5G iPod. The games retail for $4.99/£3.99. The initial selection of games is as follows:
- Bejeweled
- Cubis 2
- Mahjong
- Mini Golf
- Pac-Man
- Tetris
- Texas Hold'em
- Vortex
- Zuma
Cosmetic Changes
Alongside these major updates, Apple also included some cosmetic changes to the iTunes Store, designed to match the new iTunes graphical style.