Apple is elated. It's iTunes Music Store has managed to shift more than 1 million videos since the new service debuted on 12 October. Customers can choose from over 2000 music videos, Pixar short films and hit TV shows for just £1.89 (inc. VAT).

Top downloads include music videos from Michael Jackson, Fatboy Slim and Kanye West, along with Pixar's 'For the Birds' and 'Boundin', and episodes of ABC's hit TV shows 'Lost' and 'Desperate Housewives.'

'Selling one million videos in less than 20 days strongly suggests there is a market for legal video downloads,' said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. 'Our next challenge is to broaden our content offerings, so that customers can enjoy watching more videos on their computers and new iPods.' But some customers aren't so happy, with complaints that Apple is slow to get new content like 'Lost' and 'Desperate Housewive's on iTunes before illegal P2P (peer-to-peer) sites.

Apple is also facing mounting pressure to produce more iPods. The company hasn't yet said how many of the new video players it has sold since the units started shipping on the 17 October, but clues are mounting that there simply aren't enough around. For instance, it's taking Apple between five and seven business days to fill online orders for the video iPod, according to the company's Web site. It seems it can't build them fast enough. It's taking the company one to three days to fill orders for the 4GB Nano and about 24 hours for the 2GB version as well as the smaller Shuffles.

Music videos on iTunes are available from artists including Madonna, U2, Eurythmics, Coldplay and Kanye West, and animated shorts are available from Academy Award-winning Pixar Animation Studios. In a landmark deal with ABC Disney, the iTunes Music Store also offers current and past episodes from the two most popular shows on television, 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Lost' as well as the new drama series 'Night Stalker'. However, television shows are available in the US only, and video availability varies by country.

Apple's iTunes Music Store now also offers integrated Podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, integration with its iPod digital audio and video player, and personal use rights. The iTunes Music Store features more than 1.7 million songs from the major music companies and over 1000 independent record labels, 11000 audiobooks, gift certificates and exclusive music not found anywhere else online. It is currently the world's largest online music store.

BIOS, Nov 01, 05 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Audio