 |
by , 3:20 PM EDT, October 12th, 2005
Apple's update to version 6 of iTunes, coming a little over a month after the move to version 5, enables consumers to choose from more than 2,000 music videos, six short Pixar films and episodes of five Disney-owned TV series, including Lost and Desperate Housewives. Pricing is US$1.99 each, and they can be watched on a computer or on the new video iPod.
Apple said that music videos exclusive to iTunes 6 include selections from such artists as The Beastie Boys, U2 and Madonna, as well as an exclusive performance and interview from Death Cab for Cutie and an exclusive video album from Brazilian Girls. Also new to the iTunes Music Store is the Complete Stevie Wonder digital box set, which features more than 500 songs, a digital booklet and three music videos.
Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M, said in a statement: "The people at Apple fully understand the interaction between musicians and their audience."
The six Pixar shorts available for purchase are "Boundin'," "For the Birds," "Geri's Game," "Luxo Jr.," "Red's Dream" and "Tin Toy." All of them were previously included on the DVD editions of various Pixar films. "Tin Toy" was the studio's first computer-animated short and "Luxo Jr." is well-known for its lamp character, which hops across the screen at the start of every Pixar movie and jumps up and down on the "I."
In addition to Lost and Desperate Housewives, episodes of That's So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Night Stalker are now available on the iTunes Music Store. Disney CEO Robert Iger said in a statement: "For the first time ever, hit primetime shows can be purchased online the day after they air on TV."
Apple has also added new features to iTunes 6, including the ability to give gifts of specific songs, albums, music videos or iTunes playlists to anyone with an e-mail address. The Beta release of a new feature called "Just For You" enables users to make personalized music recommendations and post their own reviews, similar to the ones on Amazon.com's Web site.
iTunes 6 is a free download from Apple's Web site. Mac users should be able to find it after running Software Update.
|